A Soft Place to Fall
by Tashana Ambrosia
Summary: Chapter 7 is up.The ep. shall return. It's a long road back to the ones you love.
1. Getting gone

**Author's notes: Wow this is something I never though I'd write, but since it's been rattling around in me head I thought I'd write it down. Okay I'm at it again. I've been working on this piece to add some more length and depth.  The Epilogue will be down for a while, but it'll be back up soon. I hope you enjoy this. Please Read and Review. Thanks! *Smiles* -Tashana Ambrosia**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "The Fast and Furious" or the characters therein. I'm not making any money off this so don't sue me, I'm only a poor college student.**

Prologue 

Dom's POV

I screamed at Mia to come to the car.  She glanced back at Brain or whoever the hell he was, than started running towards us.  She jumped into the backseat and I slammed the door after I sat down.

" How long have you known?" I growled not bothering to turn around to look at my sister.

" Not until last night after you left." She choked out, from the sound of it she was already crying.

" How did you find us?" I demanded.                                                            

" He called the phone company they tracked your cell." She sniffed.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and threw it out the window.

" Dom." Mia whispered.

" Don't! Just shut up! I have to think!"  I shouted.

Mia was crying; she could barely be heard over the wind and running engine.  Leon was trying to focus on driving, but he kept looking at me, then in the rear-view mirror at the girls.  I looked in the mirror at Letty; she was shifting uncomfortably and glaring at me.  I really couldn't blame any of them for being angry; I sure as Hell was.  God I had screwed up. I should have listened to Mia or any of them instead of being stubborn.

" North or South?" Leon stopped at the crossroad.

" South."

" What about Jesse?" Leon asked.

I winced.  To be honest, I'd forgotten all about him in the mess of all that happened.  If we go south we're guaranteed to get of the states, but that's not an option.  I can't abandon Jesse; Tran will kill him, if he's lucky.  " Go North, I'll have to take my Dad's car and go look for him."  

" We should all go look for him." Letty argued.

" Not enough cars. Remember our rides are still in Thermal."

" Shit. Can we go get them?" Letty complained.

" No, we don't have enough drivers.  You can't drive and I doubt Mia can."

" I could." Mia offered.

" We'd have to double-back, it's not worth it." Leon informed us.

I ran hands over my head in frustration.

" Dom, I'm so sorry." Mia sobbed.

" Mia, it's fine." I sighed heavily. " Letty, are you alright?"

" I'm fine." She sulked against the seat, but started coughing and gagging on her own blood.  Mia leaned forward and handed Letty a tissue to wipe off her mouth. " I'm fine, quit staring at me!" She growled.

I looked away from the rear-view and stared out the window at the highway flying by.  _'Vince I'm so sorry, man.  I'm sorry I didn't get you off that truck.  I'm sorry I'm leaving you behind.'_ I closed my eyes and tried to think of where Jesse might have gone, what I was going to do about Leon, Letty, and Mia, and how I was going to get us to Mexico.  

The rest of the ride was too quiet.  Letty would grunt or groan occasionally in complaint of a bump or turn and Mia would try to tend to her only getting an angry swat and an 'I'm fine' in return.  We entered the freeway to LA and I glanced at the number of miles until our exit.

I stretched and turned around to face the girls. " When we get back to the house, Letty, I want you and Vince to pack some clothes. We need to plan to get gone in a hurry."

" What about me?" Mia questioned.

'What about her? I can't drag her out of school, away from her dreams, her life, it wouldn't be fair to her.'

" Dom, what about me?" She insisted.

" I need you to stay behind. I don't want you giving up your life for something I did."

" But Dom…"

" Don't question me! This is not up for discussion." I growled, although I felt awful the moment it left my mouth.  

Mia started sobbing in the backseat again.  Letty glared at me and put her arms around Mia. " S'alright girl. He's right. Somebody's gotta stay and hold the fort."

" For who! You'll all be gone. I'll be all alone!" Mia wailed.

I winced at the sound of her cries.  God, I felt so awful for putting her through all this, but I couldn't take one more thing on my mind. " Mia, I need you to stay. Think about the store and the house need to be taken care of even if it's only until you come join us." It sounded like I was folding, but I wasn't. I was only convincing Mia to listen to me.

" Okay." She responded quietly.

" We're here." Leon pulled into the driveway and turned off the car.  The four of us bailed out of the car like we'd been shocked.  Leon went down to the basement to pack and Letty stumbled up the stairs to our room, with Mia hot on her heels.  I went out to the barn and pulled out the car. 

Leon already had the trunk popped and was throwing his two bags inside. "Where do you think Jesse went?" He asked.

I stared up at the house and didn't answer the question.

" Dom!"

" You and Letty are going without me."

" No way man. We stick together."

" For what? So we can all end up in different prisons? No! You and Letty are going to Mexico."

" The Hell we are!" Letty stood on the porch with her hands on her hips. " We stick together Dom! No way are we separating!" She thundered down the stairs and fell at the bottom.  She threw up, but swatted Mia away when she tried to help. Letty wiped off her mouth and stood on shacking legs. " You ain't getting rid of me."

" Letty, this isn't about getting rid of you. I don't want you to get caught."

She walked up to me and dropped her bag by my feet. " That is my call to make, not yours."

" Letty."

" No, Dom. You don't get to win this time. We are doing this as a team."

I closed my eyes in frustration and nodded. I felt her hug me and kiss my cheek. I opened my eyes and looked down at her picking up her bag. I ground my teeth together and slammed my arm down against the back of her neck. She collapsed instantly, but I managed to catch her at the last second.

" Dom, what the Hell are you doing?" Leon demanded.

I silently carried Letty to his car and put her in the passenger seat.  I buckled her in and kissed her forehead. " I'm so sorry baby. I love you so much. I'm so sorry." I whispered to her, before wiping my eyes. I picked up her bag and threw it in the trunk.  

" I can't let her end up in some prison and she's too stubborn to listen." I told Leon.

I watched Mia run back in the house.

" Tijuana's our best bet it's less than three hours once you get out of the city." I pointed south.

" I know man." Leon nodded and looked at Letty. " She's gonna have my ass when she wakes up."

I hugged Leon, " Get her the Hell out of here."

" I will."

" Wait! Wait! Don't leave yet!" Mia hollered and flew out of the house with something in her hand. " These fell off; she never goes anywhere without 'em." Mia sniffed and walked around to where Letty was buckled in. Mia unclasped the chain to Letty's father's dog tags and put them around Letty's neck and tucked them in her shirt. "I love you sis; take care." Mia kissed Letty's forehead and walked away from the car.

" I mean it Leon. Take care of yourself. Get across the border.  I don't ever want her anywhere near a prison!"

" I know man, I know." He nodded to me.

Mia walked over and hugged Leon, " Be careful."

" I will you know me." He kissed the top of her head. " Bye Mia."

" Bye." She whispered before walking over to stand next to me. 

Leon climbed into the car and called out me. " Baja!"

" Baja!" I answered back. God I hoped it'd work and I'd see them again.

Leon's POV

I flew down the California interstate keeping my eyes open for the next exchange. I had just gotten out of L.A. the traffic was murder.  Letty was still unconscious in the seat next to me, her head occasionally banging against the window.  She was gonna have one hell of a headache when she woke up, not to mention be pissed enough to kill me.  I was not looking forward to her waking up, or the barrage of questions that would be coming my way.

I had felt so powerless, when Vince was on the truck and Letty went flying through the air.  Vince was out of my hands, now, probably in some hospital with the cops outside his room.  Letty wasn't doing good either her breath kept getting raspy and she was shifting in pain under seatbelt.

" Keep easy, Chica." I rubbed my fingers on her cheek.  She sighed softly and relaxed against the seat.

I felt guilt about the whole situation.  I'd never been as good a driver as the others, but I had the best memory and knew every police code by heart.  This made me a shoe-in for listening to the scanners.  My grandfather was a cop, which is where I learned everything about how those codes work.  

"God-damn trucker! Fucking stupid Dom! Shit!" I muttered under my breath as I hit the steering wheel.

Letty whimpered and lifted her head slowly off her chest. " Pull over." She moaned, before insisting. " Pull over now."

I slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel to get car off the road.

She opened the door and threw up, " Damn. I feel like shit." She complained, before looking around startled. " Where the hell are we?"

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and stared out the window.

" He knocked me out didn't he?!?" She demanded her head still out the door. "Leon!" She glared at me.

" Yeah, he did." I answered quietly.

Letty closed her eyes and fell back against the seat. " Where are we?"

" We just got out of LA, I've been driving non-stop, but traffic was murder." I ground my teeth together.  " Do you think he's on the road?"

" Don't know." She pulled out her cell-phone and looked at me. " We should keep driving and you might want to get on the scanners, just in case."

I nodded and pulled back onto the highway.  " We've got another couple hours to go.  I was thinking; we may want to sell the car. That way we'd have some cash. We could stop in San Fran."

Letty was staring at the screen of the phone. " Might cause problems when we cross the border."

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye; she was trying desperately not to cry.  Her bottom lip was quivering slightly and she was biting it to try and control herself. I'd seen her do this a dozen times.  Whenever Dom hurt her she looked like this: trying to be the badass ice queen, but not quite able to do it.  I heard her punching buttons on her phone. " Dom threw his phone out the window." I reminded her.

" I know. I'm calling Mia." She cleared her throat and coughed a few times.

I touched the brakes and looked at her expectantly.

" I'm fine, keep going." She insisted. " I'll go to the first hospital on the other side of the border." She touched the send key and held the phone to her ear. " Hey girl." There was a long pause. " Mia, I can't understand ya, slow down." Another pause. " No." Letty whispered.

 I pulled the car over to the side and stared at her.

" Are you sure?" She quivered now. " Oh god no." Tears fell down her face. " No we aren't across yet. What about Dom?" She held her hand over her mouth. " Okay. We've gotta fly. I love you too girl. Bye." Letty let out a strangled cry.

I got out of the car and knelt down in front of her after I opened the door. " Let, what is it?"

" Oh my god." She threw her arms around me and started bawling. Through her cries I made out what had happened. " Tran he…he killed Jesse."

I couldn't move a muscle for moment. It didn't seem possible that Jesse could be dead.

" He shot him." Letty was trying to get herself together, but it wasn't working.

I stood up and slammed her door closed.  I climbed back into the driver's seat and started driving. The ride was quiet for a while; both of us were dealing with news in our own way.  

The scanner went ballistic announcing that four suspects were moving towards the Mexican border after the attempted robbery of a semi-truck. " Subjects are described as three males in the early to mid twenties and one female in her early twenties. The first male is of Italian descent: he is over six feet tall, approximately 220 lbs, dark brown eyes, and a shaved head. Officers should be advised that subject one should be considered dangerous as he was previously convicted of aggravated assault, may be armed, repeat subject may be armed.  Subject is believed to be LA, native Dominic Anthony Toretto. Subject two is male is Caucasian, roughly six feet tall, approximately 160 lbs, blue eyes, with light brown hair.  Subject is not known to be dangerous but use caution. Name is unknown, but subject is believed to suffer from ADHD and may be hyperactive."

We both took a deep breath after hearing Dom and Jesse's descriptions and waited to hear how accurate our own would be.

" Subject three is a Caucasian male, over six feet tall, approximately 185 lbs, hazel eyes, with short brown hair and slight goatee. It is believed that subject has been arrested for disturbing the piece and reckless endangerment, should be considered dangerous and will likely try to outrun pursuit. Suspect three may be LA native, Leon Cassimer.  Subject four is a Latino female, roughly five and half feet tall, approximately 110-120 lbs, dark brown eyes, and long brown hair, which reaches past her shoulder. Subjects name unknown, but may be injured from a previous car crash.  All border patrols will be advised.  Subjects may try to cross the border in Tijuana Mexico. Subjects may be driving a black Honda Civic with neon green lights under the car." 

I watched the mile sign for Tijuana fly by us.

" Well they got your name wrong." Letty pointed out. " We should sell the car. This car will attract too much attention."

I sighed heavily and turned onto the next interchange. " To San Fran we go.  Think you can scare us up some street racers?"

She folded her arms over her chests. " Yeah, I better hope so."

Three hours late Letty and I were still in San Francisco.  Letty went to pick up some clean clothes and food for us. When she walked up to the car I was showing it off to a couple of punk-looking kids. 

" Hi there." Letty walked up and leaned against the car.

" Letty, this is Damon and Alex. They're interested in the car." I told her.

" Fantastic." She flashed a half-smile at them. " We want cash."

" I already told them that." I looked back at the kids. " Two vehicles, plus 10g's."

" I don't know dawg that's a lot to put down for one car." One complained.

Letty rolled her eyes and opened the passenger door. " If they can't tell what this is then let's not bother with them."

" Whoa, whoa, we didn't say we weren't interested.  It's just a lot." The other told us.

" If you really knew what this was, you would know we're only asking for pennies compared to what it's worth." I shot back at them.

" Okay we'll take it, but would you take a crotch-rocket and car?"

I looked at Letty and she nodded. " As long as you've got the cash."

" No problem dawg, just follow us back our pad."

" No, you come back here, with the cash and rides. We'll wait for ya." I answered. I was not getting jumped this close to the border and get my head cracked open.  

They nodded and went back to their own car.

" Are they good for it?" She asked sipping on a bottle of ginger ale.

" I think so. Are you doing alright?"

" Yeah, my stomach's just doing back flips." She complained and leaned her head against the door. " Ou." She winced and touched the side of her head. " What happened to my head?"

" You flipped over in a car crash, Dom hit you, and your head was bangin' against the window."

She dropped her head into her hands. " Now I feel worse, thanks for the play-by-play."

I knelt down next to her. " You need to go change.  You've got blood all over ya."

She nodded and let me help her up, " I'll go back into the bathroom of the store and change."

" I'll be waiting." I pushed her forward and went back to look in the shopping bags. I pulled out a pop and starting guzzling it. I'd of killed for a beer, but I didn't dare drink and risk trouble at the border.

Letty came back out an hour later with blond hair, wearing a pair of normal jeans and a red tank top,  " Not a word." She growled.

" I was just gonna ask if it'll wash out." I smirked.

" It better. They aren't back yet?" She pulled at the top of her shirt and looked down. " Shit this is bleeding again. Will you check and see if there's something in there. It makes me nauseous to look down."

I nodded and looked at the abrasion over her heart. I poked at the hole and couldn't find anything. Letty hissed in anger and pain. " Sorry." I finished looking then patched it up. " I think it's gonna scar."

" Knowing my luck." She rolled her eyes, than looked at me more seriously. "Why two rides?"

" I am getting you over that border. I can't take the risk that they'll recognize me."

" So what we go over separately?"

I nodded, " You know where we're meeting up. Dom's probably tapping his foot waiting for us, getting plastered, and…"

" And hitting on some girl before I have a chance to get in his way."

We both laughed before a group of cars and bike pulled around us in a semicircle.  Letty raised her eyebrows but didn't make a sound.  About ten people got out, including the two kids we'd talked to earlier.

" Not bad." One guy commented and looked suspiciously under the hood. "Homemade?"

" Something like that." Letty sneered.

" We'll take it."

We haggled out over the 10g's but they finally gave it up.  We took our stuff out of the car and took the paper work for our new rides.  The car they brought for Letty looked like a piece of junk but the engine was good.  The bike I was gonna take was in decent condition.

" I'll give you an extra 500 for the scanner." The leader told me.

I nodded and held out my hand.  After the exchange the group peeled out with the civic in a cloud of dust.  I split up the money and put Letty's bag in the car. " You got a story?"

" Yeah, I'm going to visit my grandma in Mexico City. She's really sick; my mother called me.  I haven't been to Mexico since I was ten, so my Spanish is terrible." She put her hands on her hips.

" What are you going to do if you get sick again?"

" Tell 'em I'm pregnant." She laughed as I jumped. " It's a cover story, not real life."

I hesitated before getting on the bike. " Let's go. I'll see you in Baja."

She nodded and took off in the car.

I followed Letty until about five miles from the border.  I eased off and let her pull ahead of me a ways.  I took my time getting up there, but I had to make sure she got across.  As I got in sight I saw that the officers were searching Letty and asking her questions.  I chose the lane next to hers and waited for the guards to get to me.

Letty threw up again. I winced under my helmet; they wouldn't let her in if they thought she was sick.  The guards looked at her questioningly before breaking out into laughter and showing her the pictures in their wallets.  She must have use the pregnant excuse. _'Good girl.'_

They waved her through and I sighed in relief. The guard motioned me forward and I took off my helmet.  I watched Letty drive across the border as I handed him my license. The guard had caught me watching her.

" Nice looking huh?" I laughed feebly.

He didn't look amused. " How long have you owned that bike?"

" A month."

" You don't have an endorsement for motorbikes."

" I forgot it at home. I'm sorry man."

He made another face at me. " How long will you be in Mexico?"

_'The rest of my damn life.'_ I thought, but I answered. " Just the weekend. Bachelor party for a buddy of mine."

He was silent for a long moment and even reached for his radio before handing me back my license. " Fine. Go."

I put license in my pocket pulled my helmet back on and sped across the border. Now I've just gotta get down to Baja in one piece.


	2. Travels

**A Soft Place to Fall**

Dom's POV

7 months later:

I walking in a tiny Mexican town, it was so close to the ocean I was practically breathing salt.  I was walking by a row of houses, when I stopped dead in my tracks.  The house was three stories: a modern looking thing and the small signs both near the driveway and on the doorway announced, " Shayne O'Connor's Visions." I walked up the driveway and stared in shock at the painting in the window.  That was defiantly Letty.  I couldn't believe it.  I tested the knob and found it unlocked. I walked into the house and looked around at the homey looking gallery.

" I'll be there in a click!" Called out a friendly voice. I heard footsteps coming from another room and a red-haired woman came around the corner.  Her eyes were brilliant blue, but were obscured by glasses, which she took off and clipped to the front of her apron.  She wiped her hands off and a red smear appeared near the multi-colored stains that dotted the apron.   " You need direction?"

I arched my eyebrow, " Huh?"

" Well, you don't look like you need a painting to hang over your mantle." Her eyes sparkled with laughter. " But if that's why you're here I'll sell you what you want." 

I shook my head and pointed towards the front window. " I'm curious about that painting in the window."

" Oh that one. Come with me I have a copy in the main gallery.  It's called 'Waiting for a Dream to Come True.' I've done four of them, but two of them aren't finished and I don't show off half done work.  Are you looking for a gift for someone?"

" No, I'm curious about the girl that posed for it."

She glanced at me before biting her lip. She led me into a brightly lit room full of painting sand sculptures.  She pointed at the paintings on the wall; the two in the center were of Letty.  I looked at the title-plates on both paintings the other read: 'Listening for Your Voice.' 

" What do you want with her?"

" I've been trying to find her." 

" Why?" The woman rubbed her collarbone listlessly, drawing my attention to the vine like tattoos that started at the bumps of her collarbones and looped back over her shoulders.  

" Because she means a lot to me." I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked back at the paintings.

" I see." She looked at me with a sad smile. " What's her name?" 

" Letitica Rodriguez, but if you knew her any longer than five minutes it would have been Letty." I knew what this woman was doing she was trying to make sure I actually knew Letty. I was wondering how much Letty had told her about us. " Look she has long brown hair it's wavier than it is in that picture, she has brown eyes you get lost in, and scars…" I trailed off as the memory of the crash flashed in my mind.  " She would have had some recent scars, one on her jaw line, it was from a car crash."

" That's what happens when you go suicidal on 18 wheelers." 

My jaw came unhinged I stared in shock at the small woman in front of me. Why the Hell would Letty tell her about that.

" She told me all about it, after all we're kindred spirits, criminals and all." She laughed softly and extended her hand to me to the first time. " I'm Jennifer Shayne O'Connor murderer of an abusive, asshole husband, you can call me Jenny."

" I'm Dominic Toretto suicidal truck jacker, you can call me Dom." I actually laughed out loud for the sheer hilarity of the situation and shook her hand.  " Do you know where Letty is?"

" You're four days too late." She lamented. " God, I wish you have come sooner. She disappeared four days ago; said something about a damn dream speech and beach towns."

" Do you know which way she went?"

" No, I wish I did. I'm really worried about her. She's been living here with me and my son for a little over two months and she's never been gone this long.  I woke up one morning and she was gone, along with all her stuff."

I stood in shock. I could feel my heart sinking in my chest. I'd missed her by four days, all the stops that I hadn't had to make flashed in my mind. " I've got to find her." I muttered under my breath.

" Whoa, Whoa." Jenny blocked my potential path. " If you leave, she'll come back, then she'll go looking for you and I'll never find our how this story goes."

" I can't just stay here and wait for her."

" So you go looking for five days. If Letty comes back, I'll sit on her. Well not literally of course, but…" She trailed off and looked at me suspiciously, before rubbing her collarbone again. " Never mind. If she comes back I'll keep her here, if you don't find her, come back in five days and we can go from there."

I blinked, I was missing something here and I didn't like it. I was about to press her for what was going on, but the door slammed and in rushed a little kid.

Jenny knelt down and scooped up the blond boy. " Hi, there Hero! Did you have fun with Peter?"

" Yeah." He looked up at me suspiciously. " Hola."

" Hi." I smiled down at him.

" Morgan, this is Dom Toretto, he came here looking for Aunt Letty. Dom, this is my son, Morgan."

" Mom, is he the…" Morgan tried to ask me something, but Jenny covered his mouth.

" Hey Hero, why don't you go upstairs and clean up; okay?" She pushed him towards the stairs.

Morgan looked back at me, but hurried up the stairs. 

I narrowed my eyes at Jenny, " Something you don't want me to know."

" It isn't for me to tell." Jenny turned her back on me and looked her mantle. I noticed the tattoo extended behind her back and met below neck where a fairy image was.  She flipped down a picture on the mantle and sighed.  " She left four days ago going North I would think, since the last time she left she went South. Why didn't you plan a meeting place?"

" We did. I don't know why she didn't stay there."

" Are you hungry? I was just finishing diner, you can stay if you want."

" No, I'm gonna start looking for her the sooner I find her the better."

Jenny turned back and looked at me. " Good luck."

Part 1

I ground my teeth against the jarring of the car as I fought another wave of nausea.  I took a few deep breathes, when I started to feel the bile rise in my throat. I pulled the car off the dirt road and flung open the rusted door, just in time to stick out my head and wretch up my guts for fourth time. After coughing and rinsing out my mouth, I sighed and leaned back heavily against the seat. 

" Stop making me do that." I warned my unborn child and poked my swollen stomach for emphasis.

I slammed the door closed and started driving again. It had been 7 months, since the shit had hit the fan. Seven months since race wars, the last job we had pulled together, Vince winding up in jail, Jessie getting killed, Brain telling us that he was cop, and 7 months since I'd seen Dom. Despite Mia's attempt's to patch me up the wounds on my face had scarred, so had the ones on my arms, legs and the one right over my heart. 

" It didn't bother you any though did it?" I teased my baby. " You probably liked flipping upside-down."

A gunshot rang out and my car veered violently to the right. I hung on for dear life and pressed on the brakes as I listened to the sickening thump-thump sound of my flat tire.  I eased the car to the side of the road and looked all around me, before pushing myself out of the car.  I examined the passenger side of the car and discovered that it hadn't been a gunshot, just my tire blowing. I retrieved the keys from the ignition and slammed the key into the trunk lock. I popped the trunk and glared at the belongings I had stored in it. 

I moved the four boxes from the trunk to the back seat of my car, but was too tired to do anything else with the car at the moment. God, I wish Leon were here. I wish Dom were here or any friendly face for that matter. I was leaning against the car trying to reclaim my strength so I could continue. Finally with a huff of annoyance I went back to the trunk. I pulled out the spare and lowered it to the ground.  

I went back to the front seat of my car and fished out my cooler. I drank a few sips of water and ate a few crackers. I felt my stomach lurch, than relax. I sighed and grabbed the applesauce out of the cooler. I took five bites and quickly put it out of sight. 'Back to the tire,' I thought miserably, as I wiped the sweat from my brow.  I glanced in the car's mirror and wished I hadn't. I hadn't seen a shower for days and I was covered in dirt and grime. Not like in the old days, where a little grease was fine and dandy, I'm talking Mexican mud in places I didn't know I had.

I went after the jack and discovered that it was a hundred times heavier than I remembered it being.  It took me a dozen tries to even get it half way out of the trunk. I finally pulled it out, but it was too heavy to hold and I just barely got my toes out of the way before it came crashing down.  I started to ease myself down; when I realized that there was no way in Hell I could do this in my condition. I couldn't reach around my belly, to perform the task crouching and I certainly couldn't lie down and do it, I'd wind up getting killed. 

I flopped down onto the ground and felt tears gather in my eyes. I leaned my head against the car and started bawling. I was crying for everything that I'd never gotten to cry over and for the cars that were flying by me on the old Mexican highway.

***

I finally got this damn car moving the way it should be. I was cruising down one of the old Mexican highways. I've really got to get the air fixed in this stupid thing. On a day like this AC would have been nice, it felt like Hell's sauna.  I curved around one of the bends and saw what I thought was an abandon car.  

But as I got closer I noticed a woman sitting at the back of it.  I slowed the car down and turned it off. I started walking up to the car and I could hear the woman crying. She was pregnant, no doubt about that. God, I'd ring that fucker's neck if I could get a hold of him. I hated to see a woman in distress, especially a mother.

***

I could hear footsteps thumping up to where I was sitting. I started wiping my eyes, when he stopped my cold.

" Do you need some help?"

I snapped up my head at the sound of that familiar rumble. Our eyes locked and he stared at me in disbelief.

***

I felt my jaw come unhinged. My Letty was sitting on the ground, filthy and pregnant. Her brown eyes met mine and we looked at each other for the longest time. I reached out my hand without a word and helped her to her feet.  She touched my face and started crying again. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to keep myself from crying. 

" Where have you been?!?" She demanded in a harsh whisper. She struck my chest over and over, but there wasn't any power behind the blows. " I waited and waited and you never came." She looked up at me still blubbering and trying to calm down.

" I've been looking for you." I told her.

" It's all your fault." She sobbed into my chest. " You should have listened to us. We told you it was bad idea! Now Vince is in prison, Jessie's dead, Leon's God knows where, and you left me alone. I told you I had a bad feeling!" She kept accusing me over and over as she wept. 

I smoothed her hair and told her. " I'm sorry. I really am, but I can't change what happened."

She jumped and seemed to calm a bit, but she pushed away from me. " Let go of me."

" Letty, you've got to understand..." I attempted to reason with her.

" No let me go now." She started pushing at me again. " I'm gonna..."

She threw up all over my arm; she'd turned her head as far away from me as she could.

I moved away from her and tore off my shirt. I wiped my arm off with my shirt. I looked back at her and saw her rocking on her heels. I caught her before she completely blacked out.

" Sorry." She muttered and closed her eyes.

I looked around and grunted before carrying her back to my car.

_*Begin flashback*_

I ran my fingers through my wet hair as I rested on a park bench, and flipped through the local newspaper.  I sighed and squinted at the paper again as I rested my hand over my stomach.  I was four months pregnant.  I'd found out in Mexico City three months ago, when I'd gone to the hospital.  I had just crossed the border when I guess I passed out at the wheel of my car. I woke up banged up, bruised, and in the care of a humorless doctor.  When I found out I was pregnant, I just bawled.  I mean it wasn't like we were careful or anything, but I always thought we'd be together, when I found out something like this.

_Now I was in Veracruz, or more specifically Tecolutla, which was a city on the beach.  I'd been jumping from beach city to beach city hoping beyond hope of finding Dom. His dream speech ever ringing in my ears, driving me to acting like a mad woman and of course the hormones weren't helping._

_" Excuse me." A quiet voice interrupted my mental tirade._

_I looked up to see a red-haired woman smiling gently at me.  She was wearing a billowing white shirt and a pair of blue jeans, obviously a tourist looking for directions._

_" I can't give you directions." I snipped._

_" I should hope not." She grinned and pointed south, " I live ten miles that way."_

_I ducked my head to hide my embarrassment, " Sorry."_

_" Why? How could you know?" She waved her hand dismissively. " Can I ask you a rather strange question?"_

_I arched my eyebrow. I was not in the mood for this; I was hot, tired, and pregnant. "Shoot." I figured if I humored her she might leave._

_" May I draw your picture?"_

_Well that wasn't the question I was expecting. I narrowed my eyebrows a bit. " I can't afford anything like that."_

_" No, no you don't understand. I'm an artist."_

_Now I was getting down right agitated. " I know. You're one of those people that draws in the park and bothers people for money."_

_" No, I own my gallery and I come down to the park for inspiration.  If you don't want to it's fine.  But I promise I wouldn't be trying to sell it to you, I'd try to sell to some tourist that visits my gallery."_

_I blinked. This chick had just thrown me for a complete loop, but now I noticed the huge flat bag she was carrying. " I don't care. What do you want me to do?"_

_Her face lit up with a smile, " Oh nothing just sit still. Not statue still, just don't change position every five minutes." She pulled out a bunch of stuff including an easel and sat across from me._

_" Is this going to take long?"_

_" Do you have somewhere to be?" She questioned peeking out from around the canvas._

_I winced, " No, just curious."_

_" Okay." _

_I could hear her clinking pencils together and scratching them across the paper surface.  I yawned and couldn't remember how my face had been before I moved.  I kept adjusting my face trying to figure how it had looked when I heard her ask._

_"  So when are you due?"_

_" May 17th. Is it that obvious I'm pregnant?" I looked down at my stomach and touched it with both hands._

_" Only to someone who's been there before. Please don't move for a few minutes." _

_I heard her flip a page on the easel and scribble insistently.  I felt foolish and vulnerable with my head down. " How old is your kid?"_

_" He's six. My Morgan, he's the light of my life." Her scribbling slowed, before stopping and starting, than finally stopping. " Okay you can shift now. Sorry inspiration struck, I know how weird a position like that feels."_

_Grateful for the reprieve I stretched quickly and leaned against the bench again. " How long have you been in Veracruz?"_

_" Five years." Paper flipped again and another round of furious scribbling came from her side of the easel. " How about you?"_

_" Less than a month." God, I haven't had a conversation in so long._

_" How's your Spanish?"_

_I scowled, " Worse than I thought."_

_" It'll get better. It's amazing what you can learn when you have to." She continued her draw, peering around periodically to look at me. " So, what's your name?"_

_" Letty."_

_" Cute, is it short for something?"_

_" Nothing that's ever used anymore." I folded my arms over my chest and slouched, before realizing how much I'd moved._

_She peered around again and laughed. " It's okay, relax there for a minute, Letty. I'm Jennifer O'Connor, call me Jenny."_

_" Not very art sounding." I smirked._

_" That's why I always sign them, Shayne O'Connor. I figure in a hundred years, it'll give art historians something to laugh about."_

_We talked about mundane things, the weather, the beach and movies we'd both seen and liked.  She gave me some tips on how to keep food down and some stuff to avoid getting near while I was pregnant.  _

_Finally she stood up and stretched, " Well that should about do it." She looked at her watch and whistled. " Wow, we've been here an hour and half. You must be ready to run around the block."_

_" Actually, I'm pretty tired, which is pathetic I haven't done anything."_

_" I had trouble with getting tired too. I'd get around to go out and by time I was done I needed a nap." She walked over to me and handed me a wad of bills._

_" What's this? I don't take charity." I tired to hand it back to her, but she shook her head._

_" It's not charity, it's a payment. Standard modeling fee in the states can run up to a hundred per hour. So that's one-hundred-fifty-dollars. That you earned by being your sweet self." She fished around in her purse until she found a business card. " Come see me in a week. The picture will be done so you can see it and you can meet my son and have lunch with us."_

_My mouth dropped open and I couldn't seem to find my voice._

_" Just think about it. My address is right on the card." She winked, gathered up her supplies and disappeared down towards the beach._

_In exactly one week I was standing at a modern looking house, which no doubt overlooked the beach from the back. I was about to turn and walk away when the door opened._

_" Hey stranger. Come on in." Jenny grinned and motioned for me to come in._

_I managed a smile and allowed her to lead me into her home.  The floors were all hardwood and there were a few pairs of shoes by the door. " Do you want me to take my shoes off?"_

_Jenny smiled, " If you want. I just like to be barefoot." _

_I noticed that she was covered in paint and plaster; even the rag tied around her head was splattered. A shrill laugh caught my attention and Jenny knelt down and picked up a little blond haired boy. " You are so filthy." She laughed and motioned me to the living room. " Go sit down. I'll get him clean and be right back."_

_I could hear Jenny and Morgan laughing as they raced up the stairs. I looked around the living room at the different pictures and statues. I noticed a price tag and was confused for a moment before remembering that this was her gallery.  There were beautiful pictures of beach and mountains, god she was really good.  Another thundering on the stairs drew my attention._

_Jenny was wearing an old-looking jumpsuit, and her son was in new looking pair of jeans and a t-shirt.  " Say hi to Miss Letty, Morgan."_

_" Hola Senorita Letty." Morgan grinned and showed off his toothless smile._

_" Hi there Morgan. I've heard a lot about you." I smiled at the adorable kid._

_Jenny knelt down next to her son. " Could you go pick some bananas for lunch, hero?"_

_" Yup." Morgan dashed out towards the back door._

_Jenny looked at me and motioned for me to follow her again. " Sorry about the mess and insanity. I'm usually a bit more organized, but we were sculpting."_

_" Morgan helps?"_

_" In his own way." Jenny winked and led me into a room with sheets on the floor.  " This is creation central." She announced, before walking over to a covered canvas. "And this is what you inspired."_

_The picture was of me, though a bit altered here and there. I was sitting on a stonewall, my hands resting on my stomach and my expression wistful as if I was waiting for something, or someone._

_" So what am I waiting for?" I questioned._

_" I don't know, whoever you pining over when I met you." She gave me a critical look, " And you still are."_

_I folded my arms over my chest. " You've got some nerve."_

_" I'm an artist, it's an occupational hazard. So do you mind if I sell it?"_

_" If I say no, what will you do with it?"_

_" I'll keep in here and use it for later inspiration." She answered and shrugged her shoulders. " It's not like I'm hurting for sales."_

_" Momma, I got 'um." Morgan ran in with an armful of bananas._

_" Great job sweetheart. What should we make for lunch?"_

_" Peanut butter and banana sandwiches." He grinned._

_Funny as the combination sounded to me, it actually sounded good. " Fine with me."_

_Jenny let out a laugh and ushered both of us into the kitchen._

_It was hours later and Jenny had put Morgan down for a nap. He had fused about going upstairs for his nap, claiming he wasn't tired but after a few minutes on the couch he was out like a light. Jenny showed me to the back deck, which overlooked the ocean and sat down._

_" Would you like anything to drink?" She asked._

_" No. I'm fine. I haven't eaten that much and kept it down in days." I knocked on the wooden table for luck._

_" Doesn't surprise me. Though I only had morning sickness during the first tri." Jenny folded her arms behind her head._

_" I hate you." I growled and looked out over the ocean._

_" Most people say that." She followed my eyes. " So you never answered me about the painting."_

_I bit my lip. I'd been thinking about it for the entire afternoon. " Could you put in the front window for a few weeks than sell it."_

_Jenny's eyebrow arched. " I can, but why do you want me to put it in the front window?"_

_" I'm hoping someone will see it." I could feel tears gathering in my eyes and I wiped them away quickly._

_" Same someone that your waiting for?" Jenny guessed._

_" Yeah." I drew in a breath and sighed._

_" Letty, what are you doing in Mexico?"_

_" You really don't want to know."_

_" Try me." She picked idly at the table. " You tell me your story and I'll tell you mine."_

_I wasn't sure about her curiosity, but I needed to talk to someone. " My friends and I robbed some 18 wheelers.  We got into trouble on the last job. One of friends ended up in the hospital, one is dead and the other two are god knows where." I sniffed._

_" One of them is the father?" She wondered._

_I pulled out my wallet. " The guy with his arm around my waist. Dom." I chocked a bit, god I was pathetic; the sound of his name killed me._

_" Your soul-mate huh? God, Letty, I'm so sorry." Her expression was full of compassion._

_I shrugged trying to make light of it as I took the picture back. " That's why I'm here. He told me, that he had a dream about us being on a beach in Mexico. So here I am."_

_" Looking at every beach town you can find." Jenny finished for me and brushed her hair back behind her ear. " There are towns all over Veracruz. This may be where you find him."_

_" I don't know." I sighed and looked at her. " So what's the artist doing in Mexico?"_

_" Making a living." She snickered. " And hiding from the cops. I killed my husband."_

_" You did not." I scoffed. There was no way in Hell this chick offed anyone._

_" Oh yes I did. I slit his throat." She looked at me for another moment before continuing.  " I married Tom after dating him for over a year. He was sweet, but had the worst the luck. If there was a bad deal within 50 miles, he found it.  I was already moderately successful, in Seattle, which is where we lived.  I bought the house and our wedding rings, but he bought my engagement ring, or so he told me, found out later that it was an heirloom.  We'd been married for a year, before I had my first big gallery show. I ran into my old art teacher and we talked for hours after the gallery had closed.  I came home and Tom was waiting up for me.  He hit me before I even said hi, threatened me, and pulled off my engagement ring so fast he broke my finger.  Then he dug it into my shoulder and cut me with it."  She pushed the shoulder of her shirt down and showed off a nasty looking scar._

_" How many stitches?" I asked._

_" None. That was the cardinal rule: no hospitals.  Anyways, that was six months of Hell. Then I found out I pregnant with Morgan and Tom changed his attitude. Waited on me hand and foot.  Even after Morgan was born he was super sweet to both of us. I though the whole mess was over." She sighed and twirled a curl on her finger. " Morgan started walking at nine months. Tom would hit me every once and while, but he wouldn't touch Morgan, so I just dealt with it. Then when Morgan was ten months he knocked some of Tom's glass chess pieces onto the fall and they broke. Tom kicked him across the living room." Jenny drew in an unsteady breath. " He kicked our baby, like a fucking soccer ball. So he storms out of the house furious at the world. I picked up Morgan and panicked, his breathing was so shallow I was afraid he was going to die."_

_" You took him to the hospital." I guessed._

_" Yeah, and Tom exploded when I got home. Beat me to a bloody pulp, then he told me that if I ever went to the hospital again, he'd kill me and torture Morgan for as long as he could.  He passed out and I made up my mind that he had to go.  So I got the butcher knife from the kitchen and I slit his throat. I still don't feel guilty."_

_" You shouldn't the ass deserved it. But how did you get to Mexico?"_

_" Oh, that the best part. See it was pretty common for me to take out thousands of dollars at a time out my bank accounts, so that what I did. By the time I hocked the ring in LA and I had over 75 thousand dollars."_

_" Holy shit!" I hollered._

_Jenny just laughed, " I told you I was good. Anyways. I'd lived here for six months, when I talked to the Major and he arranged it that I was Irish traveler who had gotten amnesia and wanted to become a Mexican citizen."_

_" So your perfectly legal."_

_" Yup."_

_" What was your name before?"_

_" Kathryn Harrison."_

_" Not much better than Jenny."_

_" Thanks a lot."_

_" Why did you help me?"_

_" Because you didn't look like a runaway. But you looked like someone who was alone in the world."_

_" I'm not."_

_" Not anymore." She smirked and stretched. " I'll give you Rico's number."_

_" Who the Hell is Rico?"_

_" Guy that owns a garage in town. He needs a translator for the tourists."_

_" I can work on cars."_

_" Even better. He'll pay ya more."_

_" Thanks."_

_" Don't worry about it."_

_End Flashback*_


	3. Finding the way back

Letty's POV:

I opened my eyes and felt a hand brush across my cheek.

" Good morning." Dom's low rumble both surprised and calmed me at the same moment.

" Hey." I sat up slowly and took in the surroundings. We were in a nice hotel in Tecoluta. 

Dom steadied me and seemed to studying me. 

" Sorry about earlier, it happens sometimes. The whole morning sickness thing, except mine is morning noon and night." 

" Don't worry about it." He still hadn't taken his eyes off me.

" Afraid I'm gonna disappear?" I turned my head questioning his stare.

He kissed me. Now Dom and I have a lot of practice in this area. We were each other's first kiss. I was about twelve, we were hiding behind his father's racecar while playing some stupid game with the neighbor kids, when he leaned over and kissed me. Vince found us and shattered the moment, but I'd never forgotten.  It was three years until I got my next kiss: an awkward public display at Christmas, when we'd gotten caught under the mistletoe. He played it off as a big joke and I'd got my feelings hurt. He didn't see me until the end of the summer, when I had 'grown up.' He asked me out and I let him kiss me at the end of our first date.  By the end of the year we were sneaking off to try other things.  

Most of our kisses are fast and passionate like a barrage of power.  This kiss was different it was slow and sweet, his tongue rolling over my lips begging to be let it. I surrendered completely I couldn't ever really tell him no. He stopped and looked at me again.

" I'm sorry." He whispered against my skin.

" You couldn't have known." I answered.

" You need a shower." He informed me.

I snorted, " So do you."

He stood up and offered me his hand. " Well then let's fix it."

" Now?"  I bit my lip, shyness taking me over for first time since I lost my virginity, ironically enough to the man standing in front of me.  

He kissed my forehead and took my hands in his. " Since when do you hesitate?"

" It's not…." God how do I explain this one. I don't want him to look at me. He isn't gonna like what he sees. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to explain.

Dom beat any response I'd been trying to come up with by kissing my throat.

I stopped breathing for a moment before trying to calm myself.

" You really need a shower."  He nipped at my ear.

I sighed, "Okay."

He smiled and led me into the bathroom. He reached down to my waist and inched up my shirt.  His fingers brushed over my stomach, over my bra and up my arms as he pulled off my shirt. His eyebrows narrowed as he saw the scar over my heart.

" You got that in the crash." He fingered it gently.

" It doesn't hurt anymore."  I covered his hand with mine.

He kissed my mouth again, his hands sliding off my bra straps and unhooking the clasps. He kissed down my throat and the hollow between my breasts. He knelt in front of my and kissed my stomach. 

As if signaling approval the baby shifted and pushed against where Dom was kissing.

Dom looked up at me and I managed a smile.

" Stretching. The baby does it a lot." I took his hand and moved it up a bit and to the right so he could feel the heartbeat. " There's the heartbeat." I explained.

" Let's get you clean, before I get other ideas." He smirked and unfastened my jeans.

" You didn't have them before?" I laughed and held onto his arms while I stepped out of my jeans.

" Who me?" His eyes were as playful as ever.

I tugged up his shirt, and he pulled it off. I ran my hands up that chest that was so familiar to me. I knew every nook and cranny of his body, save the few new scars he'd gotten while we were apart.  I unfastened his jeans and ran my fingers along his bare skin. " Plan on getting lucky?"

" Only if I found you." He kissed my forehead again.

" Lair." I teased.

" It's one less thing to clean." He admitted begrudgingly and pulled off his jeans. He turned on the shower and tested the water.  " Ladies first."

" When did I become a lady?" I laughed but stepped into the spray. The hot water felt heavenly as it rolled over my back I rolled my neck and felt two hands on my shoulders.

" I haven't done this in so long I'm out of practice." He teased as he started kneading my shoulders.

" Not you." I closed my eyes and let the water pour over me as well-known hands traced their way up my neck. 

Dom surprised me by turning me around and tangling his fingers in my wet hair. "You are so beautiful. So damn beautiful, I've been dreaming of touching you for months."

I chocked at his words and tears in his eyes. I touched his face, " It's alright. It's over now."

He kissed me again, with passion and force. He was assuring himself I was really in front of him. He kissed my chest and chocked. " I'm so sorry."

" Hey," I tipped up his chin. " It's over and we're together. The Hell with all the rest for the moment."

He washed my hair and massaged my scalp, gentle things that never went on before we lost track of each other. He took a washcloth and scrubbed me right down to my toes and behind my ears. I washed his back and let him shave under my arms.

" Don't cut me." I warned.

He responded by pinning me against the wall of the shower with my arms over my head. " Have I ever cut you?"

" Well there was the one time up at the cove."

" Your keys were in your pockets, that was not my fault." He laughed and ran the razor in each of my armpits. He helped me out of the shower and turned off the water.  He wrapped a towel around me, " Besides I kissed it and made it better."

I kissed him one more time before moving away. " I'm starving. Can we go get some food?" I smiled sweetly as my stomach gurgled loudly.

" Yeah sure."

" Wait where's my car?"

" On the side of the highway where it belongs."

" All my shit was in there."

" Which is why I put it in my car. I also have some of your clothes in the room." He smiled triumphantly.

" Let's see if they fit." I sighed and walked out into the room. The blast of air in the cold room, caused goose bumps to race up my bare arms.  I looked at the boxed that he'd brought in and smiled softly. He'd found the right one. I fished around in the box until I found what I wanted.  " Hey, I want the bathroom it's freezing out here."

Dom opened the door, and the look of the towel hanging slightly off his hips would have been extremely seductive if he hadn't had his toothbrush hanging half out of his mouth. He spit than asked, " Do you want me to turn off the air?"

I shook my head. " No another joy of being pregnant is that my body can never decide whether it's hot or cold." He relinquished the bathroom to me without a word and closed the door behind him.  I pulled on my underclothes and the long dress that Jenny had given me for Christmas.  It was still a little big, but the black and red lace dress looked pretty good on me. 

_*Begin Flashback*_

_" Where am I gonna wear something like this?" I questioned her, mindful of my language in front of Morgan._

" Just for fun. It feels nice to dress up when your pregnant, just to see yourself differently."

_*End Flashback*_

I laughed out loud and ran my fingers through my shoulder length hair. I had cut it again a month before; it had been too much to keep up with.

" If you've developed another personality, I'm outta here." Dom warned.

I opened the door and tried to look offended, " Rosa will be so hurt."

Dom made a face and picked me up and kissed me. When he set me down he rubbed my shoulders. " Do you really want to go out?" He kissed me teasingly.

My stomach growled again. " Your baby is very hungry."

" Okay lets go." He offered his hand to me and even got the door.

I finally had her next to me again. It felt so normal, yet so surreal to be close enough to touch her again. I draped my arm over her shoulder and kept her close to me.  She smiled up at me and let me lead her out of the hotel onto the beach. I'd forgotten this was the door that led out the back. I smiled and leaned down so I could whisper. " Damn dream speech huh?"

" What dream speech?" She rolled her eyes innocently and moved away from me slightly. She caught a hold of my hand and tugged me forward. " Food. I have a one track mind right now."

" You've always had a one track mind." I teased before kissing her. " It just centered on _other_ things before."

" You had better not be picking on me about that." She laughed.

I'd missed the sound of her laugh. " You were worse; dragging me upstairs every chance you got."

" Never heard a complaint out of your mouth." She touched her stomach suddenly.

" Are you okay?" I was instantly concerned, I didn't even know when she was due.

" I'm fine. I'm fine." She waved off my worry. " Your child wants to play soccer." She winced again before complaining. " You want any more you have to carry them."

I rubbed my hand over her stomach. " Does he, she, it always move that much?"

" Only at night and the baby is not an it." She arched her eyebrow at me.

" Whatever you say _dear_." I teased and received a slap on the chest.

" Quit that." She sighed, and tugged my hand again. " Hungry…hungry." She started doing a slight zombie impression.

" Okay, okay mommie." I reached out for her hand and started looking for a restaurant.

We found a small restaurant that overlooked the ocean. " It's pretty here." She commented looking around at the décor.  She ordered for us since she spoke Spanish a hell of a lot better than I did. She sipped on her juice and smiled.

" How did you end up here? And where's Leon he was suppose to take care of you." I demanded.

" Leon and I split up before the border.  We sold the civic in San Fran after we heard the police announcement that we were headed for border.  We crossed in Mexicali me in the car and him on a bike."

" Where did you get the rides?"

" In San Fran we traded the civic for them and 10g's."

" Not bad, where'd the money go?"

" Half went with me and half went with Leon. Oh wait the car I was driving when you found me was one I bought after the second crash."

" You got in another crash?" I stared at her completely confused. " You're a great driver how the hell did you get into another wreck."

" It was after I crossed the border.  I felt awful so I drove through Mexicali hoping to find a better-looking hospital.  I got sick again and there was blood in it. I flipped out. I pulled my bag out of the trunk and put the money in my jeans.  Good thing to, since I passed out about five miles later and ran myself into a tree.  I woke up in the embassy hospital with no idea how I got there an I.V. in my arm and bandages around my head and chest."

I covered her hand with mine. " I'm so sorry, Letty. Is that when you found out about the baby?"

" Yeah. The doctor came in and told me that was lucky to alive and congratulations I was gonna have a baby." She smiled at the waitress and she set our food in front of us.

" You're starving and you ordered a bowl of soup?"

" No matter how hungry I am, when I get food in front of me I never want to eat." She breathed out and took her first bite.

" Why didn't you go to Baja right after that? We would have found you."

" So you've seen Leon?" She looked hopeful at me.

I shook my head and took a bite of my dinner. " No he wasn't in Baja when got there. I talked to Mia and found out he was in Mexico City."

" When?"

" About a month ago. That why I came out this way, I'd half hoped to find you together."

She dipped a piece of bread in her soup and looked up at me curiously. " Only half hoped?"

I looked away from her and stared at the back of the room.

" Dom, are you alright?" She tapped my arm to get my attention. " Were you afraid you were gonna find us _together,_ _together_?"

" Something like that." I admitted and reached for her hand. " I treated you so shitty half the time that was afraid you were gonna find something better."

She cocked her head to one side and just looked at me for a long moment before threading her fingers through mine. " Nothing better for me. You've always been the one for me. Ouch." She winced and placed her hands on her stomach.

" Are you okay?" I started to stand but she waved me back down. " Letty, are you okay?"

" Yeah." She hissed before taking a few deep breaths. " This is more pain then I'm used to."

" Are you sure you're okay?" I prodded. She was scaring the shit out of me. I had just found her; I didn't want to lose her all over again. " When are you supposed to have that baby?"

" Mid-May, the 17th I think." She ground her teeth together.

" That's less than two months away." I pointed out. " Could you be having the baby early?"

" Better not be, I don't know if the baby's lungs would be completely developed." She bit her lip. " Oh shit, now you've got me paranoid." She grimaced in pain. " Let's go."

I threw some money down on the table and helped Letty to her feet. She stumbled every few steps and would cry out in pain.  I finally picked her up and carried her to my car and we drove to the hospital in Veracruz.

Jenny's POV

I paced back and forth through my gallery.  I'd already put Morgan down for the night and now I was left alone to wonder about Letty and Dom.    It had been two days since Dom came and left and I hadn't heard a thing. God I hoped they found each other.

The second I had seen Dominic Toretto I had known who he was.  I only tested him because, well I suppose I don't know why I did what I did, but I just had to be sure he was safe.  He was gorgeous, the picture Letty had, hadn't done him justice.  He had to be Italian, it wasn't the name that had given him away, although the name was definitively Italian, it was his face.  That wild look with the bronze skin; he was a marvel.

I missed Letty.  We had gotten to be good friends in the few months that she'd lived with me.  I missed the conversations and company.  I walked into the gallery and flipped up the picture that I'd hidden from Dom.  I ran my finger over the glass and looked at our smiling faces.  The picture was from Christmas: we'd gone out for a Christmas dessert and someone at the restaurant had taken the picture of Morgan, Letty, and me.  I'd hidden it because we were standing up and it showed clearly that Letty was pregnant.  Dom didn't have a clue Letty was going to have his kid and I certainly wasn't gonna be the one to tell him.  Letty had a beautiful smile, and such a sweet personality.  I felt bad for her, I knew she was trying to move on, but she kept looking out the window.  Morgan adored Letty and he missed her terribly. I wished I'd known what had trigged her leaving.

I walked out onto my porch and sat down with my cup of tea and looked at my garden.  That was where I'd had my last conversation with Letty.  I had been planting my new garden and she was sitting in a beach chair keeping me company, when she'd said something about it looking nicer in a few years, than she gotten quiet and disappeared the next morning.

I can remember the first few days she lived with us and when she met Rosemary Martins a midwife friend of mine.

_*Begin Flashback_

_I finished my coffee and smiled at Morgan across the table. " Well should we wake up Aunt Letty?" I asked him._

_He nodded enthusiastically and started up the stairs._

_" Whoa, whoa!" I caught up to him quickly and touched the door handle. " Don't be too loud. We don't want her to be grouchy." Letty wasn't a morning person and I didn't want to scare her to death._

_Morgan crept into the room and walked up to where later Letty was lying. He kissed her cheek and rubbed her shoulder. " Good morning Aunt Letty."_

_I smiled from where I was standing in the doorway. _

_Letty started rubbing her eyes and yawning. _

_" Come on buddy let's leave Letty alone to wake up for a minute."_

_Morgan nodded and raced out of the room._

_I laughed and knelt down next to Letty. " Hey sweetie, we've got an hour and half before Rosemary comes. I thought I'd give you time to wake up."_

_Letty nodded and rubbed her eyes again._

_It took her almost a half hour to come down the stairs and flop down into the chair at the kitchen table. I set her orange juice in front of her and ran my fingers through her wet hair._

_" You want me to braid it for you?" I asked her._

_She nodded and sipped her orange juice.  This was about as verbal as she got during the course of the morning._

_I wove her hair into a loose French braid; it didn't take long since her hair was only to her shoulders.  I patted her on her the shoulder, " You want breakfast?"_

_She shook her head slowly._

_" You should eat something."_

_" I'll throw it back up." She complained and sipped her drink._

_I sighed and sat down next to her._

_" Where's Morgan?" She looked around the kitchen._

_" Probably watching T.V." I shrugged my shoulders._

_She nodded again and stared at her cup. " When's that woman coming?"_

_" Her name is Rosemary Martins and she's coming in about an hour."_

_" Don't see why; I'm not due for another four months."_

_" Which is exactly why you need to see a doctor or midwife.  You haven't had any pre-natal care that can be dangerous for your baby."_

_" I thought childbirth was a natural process."_

_" Oh it is, but why take a risk you don't have to take?"_

_Morgan came into the kitchen, " Morning Aunt Letty."_

_" Mornin' Hero." Letty smiled._

_Morgan turned to me with bright eyes, " Peter wants to know if I can come play."_

_" Oh I see." I tugged at the collar of his shirt. " I suppose, but come home for dinner okay?"_

_" K. Love ya momma." He kissed my cheek. " Later Aunt Letty!" He raced out the door with speed a marathon would have envied._

_" Where does that energy come from?" Letty questioned._

_" Got me." I half laughed and pulled out some bread. " How about we try some toast?"_

_" No." She groaned and thumped her head down on the table._

_" Suit yourself." I stretched and walked towards the art room. I started working on my new painting and within no time Letty was walking in and sitting down in a chair._

_It was a fairly quiet hour, but pretty soon the light was flashing in my art room, which meant someone was on my porch. _

_" That would be Rosemary." I announced and walked towards the hallway.  I looked back when I noticed I wasn't being followed. " Come on she's harmless."_

_Letty bit her lip, but let me led her into the main living room. I left her on the couch and answered the door that was being pounded on by someone outside._

_" You take forever to answer the door. That's very rude." Rosemary chided me in Spanish._

_" You're impatient." I snipped back, before warning her. " Letty's a bit jumpy, since she's going through this basically alone. And she doesn't speak Spanish very well so I'll have to translate unless you decide to practice your English."_

_" My English isn't that good. You'll have to translate." Rosemary started before looking at my scowl. " But I will try to alleviate the Senorita's fears."_

_" Thank you." I smiled and led her into the living room where I'd left Letty._

_Letty stood up very slowly as Rosemary and I entered the room.  Rosemary ignored Letty's outstretched hand measured the sides of Letty's belly and hips with her hands._

_" Not narrow, but skinny." Rosemary started in Spanish, than tired in English. "How much heavy before?"_

_Letty furrowed her eyebrows before asking me, " Is she asking how much I weighed before I got pregnant?"_

_" Yeah I think she is." I questioned Rosemary in Spanish and got an affirmative answer back. " Yup."_

_" I don't know." Letty shrugged and squirmed as Rosemary pinched her side. "Quit that." Letty slapped at Rosemary defensively._

_" Easy. Easy." I told them both. " Chill out and try to remember. She's only trying to help."  I told Letty, who merely glared at me. " I told you she was nervous take it easy on her." I reiterated to Rosemary, who looked at me like I was simply being annoying._

_" I think I was about 120." Letty offered._

_Rosemary nodded and pulled a scale out if her bag. She motioned for Letty to step up on the scale._

_Letty made another face but complied._

_Rosemary looked at the scale and started making negative sounds again.  " No good, too low, only 130."_

_Rosemary looked at me and started asking questions in Spanish. " Is she a diabetic?"_

_" No. I'd know that. She isn't." I answered._

_" Gestational diabetics in her family?"_

_I looked at Letty, " Anyone in your family suffer from gestational diabetes?"_

_" What the hell is that?"_

_" It's a form of diabetes caused by pregnancy. It can cause a baby's lung to develop more slowly, so it can be a serious problem and it's highly hereditary." I answered Letty._

_Letty bit her lip again. " I'm not sure. I wasn't really that close to my extended family and my mom left when I was little."_

_I explained the situation to Rosemary and she nodded understandingly._

_" We need blood sample." Rosemary told Letty._

_Letty rolled up her sleeve and offered Rosemary her arm. After we took a blood sample Rosemary got out her stethoscope did some checking on Letty and the baby. Rosemary held the stethoscope on Letty's stomach for a long moment.  Letty started looking nervous at Rosemary's quiet state._

_" Rosemary, is something wrong?" I asked her._

_" No, no. Just listening. Here," Rosemary put the headphones in Letty's ears and moved Letty's hand over her baby. " There's the heartbeat. Can you hear, feel?"_

_" Yeah I can." She whispered softly a single tear running down her face before she wiping it quickly away. " God, that's amazing."_

_Rosemary took back the stethoscope and started writing a note. " Take this to hospital."_

_" Hospital why?" Letty instantly tensed up completely._

_" To see baby." Rosemary grinned and handed me the note. " I come back in week."_

_We both nodded and showed Rosemary out. I looked at Letty and smiled. " Let's go get your first baby pictures."_

_End Flashback*_

I couldn't help but smile at the memory of that day. Every time Rosemary came to check on Letty it was pure chaos. Those two would spat it out and fight about every little thing.  I hoped wherever she ended up Letty would be well cared for. I just wish I knew.

Dom's POV

I sat next to Letty holding her hand while we were waiting for the doctor to come back.  " Are you okay?" I asked her.

" For the hundredth time yes." She growled and leaned back against the pillows.

" Senorita Rodriguez, how are you feeling?" The Doctor questioned as he looked over her information.

" Much better than before. Do you know what's wrong with me?"

" Nothing, nothing." The Doctor waved his hand dismissively.

" Then why was she in so much pain?" I demanded.

" It's false labor. Just like a preparation for the real thing." He explained and took her pulse.

" Oh joy." Letty rolled her eyes.

" Who is in charge of your pre-natal care?" He tapped his pen against his clipboard.

" Rosemary Martins she's a midwife who works out of Tecolutla." Letty answered.

" She's very good, but rather expensive. Usually only movie stars and politicians employ her." The Doctor narrowed his eyebrows looking at us.

" My friend contacted her for me, I just see her when she visits." Letty informed him.

" Who's your friend?"

" Shayne O'Connor."

" The artist in Tecolutla. I've heard of her. In fact she was here yesterday looking for someone. Maybe it was you."

" Anything's possible." Letty folded her arms over her chest. " Will you let me leave now?"

" Of course. Just make sure you talk to Rosemary when you see her next and give her these test results."

" Yeah I will." Letty nodded and took the papers.

The Doctor left us alone to get ready to leave.

" A midwife?" I questioned.

" What's wrong with that?" She demanded.

" Nothing I just figured you'd want all the drugs you could get." I helped her get dressed.

" I didn't want to take the chance I'd get hurt at one of these hospitals." She explained pointing to the man bleeding in the corner.

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and led her out of the hospital. She leaned against me and sheltered her face in my chest.

" I want to go see Jenny. She's a friend…"

" I know I met her a couple days ago.  I love those pictures." I kissed the top of her head.

" You saw them?"

" Yeah."

" My plan worked." She gave me a secretive little smile.

" I'm glad." I told her as I helped her into the car.

Leon's POV

I was two days out of Mexico City in a little beach town in Veracruz.  I'd gotten a hold of Mia last week and she told me the Letty was in Tecolutla.  I'd been flashing her picture all around town and hadn't found so much as one English speaker, but than I saw this blond haired kid.  He was playing soccer with a couple Mexican kids, when he looked up at me and smiled.  I waved to the to the kids and showed them Letty's picture. The blond said he knew "Aunt Letty" but he hadn't seen her for a while. He pointed me in the direction of his home and said his mom could help me.

The house the kid had sent me to wasn't your normal house. It was shaped, like an octagon or something.  Jesse would've gotten such a kick out of it. I looked in the window and noticed a painting in it. Who the hell keeps paintings in their windows? I looked more closely at it and realized that the woman in the painting was Letty. Holy shit! The kid wasn't kidding. Now I just had to find the mother.

" Can I help you?" Came a friendly, but confused voice.

I turned around and looked at a finely shaped woman wearing cut-off jean shorts and a long tank top. Her long red hair was pulled back in a ponytail exposing the tattoos and freckles on her shoulders and neck. One of her eyebrows arched, as she looked me over. " I need to know where this woman is."

" Me too." She shot back, than rubbed her hand over her eyes. " I'm sorry. She was living here with me, than about a week ago she packed up and left. I don't know why or where she went." She sighed and looked at me. " You're one of her friends from LA right?"

" Yeah I am. My name's Leon Carson."

" I'm Jenny O'Connor. Listen why don't you come inside my gallery? It's cooler and we'll get a chance to talk.


	4. Setting into routine?

**Authoress' Notes: **Wow! Thank you so much for all the reviews and the e-mails. I should have the next chapter out soon. I hope you enjoy this one! Please R&R! *Smiles*

Part 4

Jenny's POV:

I offered Leon a beer and sat down on the couch in my living room. " When did you get in to Tecolutla?" I asked him.

He took a long grateful drink and smiled at me. " Last night, I got in around 3a.m. driving in from Mexico City. Thank you very much for this."

" No problem. You must be exhausted from all that driving. Why did you come out this way?"

" I talked to my friend Mia and she said that Letty was in this area."

" Like I said she was up until a week ago." I sighed. " I don't know about Letty, but Dom is due back here in two days."

" You've seen Dom?!?" He sat up straighter.

" Yeah, he came through here three days ago.  I made him promise to come back in five days, so I could help him look for Letty."

" He was here?"

I nodded and motioned for him to follow me. I led him into my gallery and moved him in front of the pictures of Letty. " He was right here."

" Funny." He rolled his eyes and looked around the room. " Did you really make all this stuff?"

" Yeah." I smiled and unveiled the picture the third picture of Letty.

" She looks so gentle. That ain't like her." Leon examined the picture more closely. " Is she supposed to be pregnant in this picture?"

_'Three, two, one.'_ I though bemused as he started adding everything up in his head. I couldn't help but smile I could practically see the wheels turning in there.

" Holy shit! She really was pregnant!" He yipped.

I laughed out loud. " Yeah that would be true." I handed him the Christmas picture I had of us. " I take it that no one knew before you guys got split up."

" No, none of us; not even her."

" Well on the advantage, when she finds Dom she won't have to go through the awkward honey-guess-what conversation."

Leon laughed and rubbed the back of his head. " Always look on the bright side?"

" I try." I winked and caught him looking at me. " I'm too old for ya darlin'."

" I didn't say anything."

" You were thinkin' it."

" You're awfully sure of yourself."

" I'm an artist, it's an occupational hazard." I smiled and jumped as my front day opened. " Hang on a sec." I told Leon and called out to the visitor. " I'm coming."

I rounded the corner and shrieked in delight. " Oh my god you found her! Letty I'm so glad you see ya; I'm gonna kill ya!" I hugged her tightly and laughed out loud.

" I can't breath, bitch." She complained but hugged me back.

" Leon!" Dom thundered over our heads.

I quickly backed out the way and let the reunion commence without an outsider getting in the way.

" Shit Letty! You're gonna be a momma!" Leon whopped and hugged her.

" It was a big surprise to me." Dom announced.

" I'm sure it was." Leon laughed.

" I wasn't exactly writing it into my planner." Letty complained half-heartedly.

I laughed, " Children are never planned. Come on I want to show you something." I motioned for her to follow me.  We walked up the ramp towards the second floor.

" Where are we going?" Letty asked.

" Into your room." I smiled and opened the door.

The four of us walked into the room and Letty gasped at the boxes. She touched the top of one of them and a soft smile crossed over her features. " When did it get here?"

" The day you left." I complained. " Of course you left before dawn and I didn't hear you. How did you manage that?"

" I walked down the ramp instead of taking the stairs." She answered still looking over the boxes.

" Damn ramp. I'm gonna kick Li-Chi's ass next time I see her." I put my hands on my hips.

" Who's Leche?" Dom asked.

" No it's Lee-che.  She's my best friend and she can't walk, so when I designed my house I put in the ramp." I walked over and knelt next to Letty. " It's all there."

" I know." She smiled again.

" What is all this?" Leon couldn't help ask.

" My nursery." Letty grinned and pointed to the picture on the biggest box. " See, that's the crib."

Dom leaned over her and looked at the picture. " It's beautiful." He kissed her temple.

Letty snapped her fingers. " Wait isn't Lee, Morgan's middle name?"

" Yep. Named after Li-Chi or Lees as I normally called her.  She stayed with me in the hospital, when Morgan was born."

" Your husband didn't stay with you?!?" Letty curled up her lip. " That bastard."

" Well he was with me until the breech."

" Breech? There's another baby term I don't know." Letty smirked.

" A breech is when the baby can't be born naturally because it's too big for the mother. We though Morgan would be okay, but after fourteen hours…"

" Fourteen hours! What the fuck! I'm gonna be in labor for fourteen hours!" Letty yelped.

" It's possible most first time births are long, but not always. It just depends on the mother and child." I offered.

" Oh fuck." She rubbed over her eyebrow. " Anyways, you were saying."

I laughed, " Yeah after fourteen hours I tried to deliver him, but his shoulders were too broad, so I had an emergency caesarian section. Lees stayed with me. Funny thing is that we Morgan was gonna be a girl. So we had the name Cynthia Morgan picked out and that wasn't gonna work."

" How do they do that, caesarian thing?" Leon questioned me.

I sighed and pulled my shirt up to show off the scar that ran down my stomach. "Slice and dice."

" Did it hurt?" He asked me quietly.

" Not at the time. They had me so drugged up I couldn't feel my lower half. Now later I couldn't walk and I could barely stand. But Morgan was okay and that was all I cared about." I rolled down my shirt. " He was born blue, because he hadn't had any oxygen, but the doctors brought him back."

" So you named him after your friend because she stayed with you." Letty offered.

" Yes I did. She got in an accident after Morgan was born and lost the use of her legs. She took Morgan's first baby pictures. Hey come on let's go downstairs and get something to drink." I motioned for them to follow me.

Dom's POV:

I stretched again and yawned as I walked out of the bathroom and into Letty and my bedroom. I looked down at Letty, who was still sleeping her hand curled under her chin and a serene expression on her face.  I got dressed and kissed her temple before walking down to the kitchen.

Jenny was already up, dressed and making breakfast. " Morning." She greeted me with a chipper tone that I knew was going to take some getting used to.

" Morning." I echoed as she handed me a cup of coffee. " Thank you."

" You're welcome." She flipped the pancakes and picked up her own cup. "Letty still asleep?"

" Yeah." I answered and looked up as Leon stumbled into the kitchen.

" Whoa." I heard Jenny mutter under her breath at Leon's wasted look.

" Coffee." He mumbled.

" Here you are. Good morning." Jenny smiled and handed him a cup.

Leon muttered something about 'damn morning people' and thumped down in the chair next to me.

This had pretty much been our pattern for the last week. Jenny had opened her house to the three of us without a second thought.  The house was deceiving since it had the strange octagon shape I figured the room would be small and oddly shaped but they weren't at all. 

After walking through the house a few times I noticed that there were three stories and a basement/storm-cellar, two staircases, one ramp, which went all the way to the third story. The first floor was the oddest: the front and main galleries were in the front, followed by the actual living room and a library; the back consisted of the kitchen and the studio, where Jenny spent the majority of her time. 

The second floor was more like a hotel: fifteen rooms in all and fifteen bathrooms to go with them.  Until last week the only people that lived her full time were Jenny and Morgan, the rooms were all for guests. Jenny obviously wasn't hurting for space. The third floor was for entertaining: it was almost all windows; it was one room, a banquet hall or something like that. 

I wasn't used to living in someone else's house. It made me feel like a free loader half the time, of course the other half I too busy doing projects that Jenny asked me to help with. 

Of course the last surprise had been the huge dog that Jenny owned.  Now the point of this German Shepard mix was to protect Morgan, but Corpus, as he was named, was a big baby. I doubt that dog would hurt anyone if his life depended on it.

I jumped as fingers snapped in front of my face.

" You in there?" Leon asked.

" Yeah sorry, just thinking." I looked at him, then at Jenny. " I miss something?"

Jenny laughed, " You poor night people." She put a plate of food in front of both of us and went back to sawing on her grapefruit. " I was saying that my friend Rico is ready to meet with you two today."

" Finally. What the Hell took so long?" Leon complained.

" Culture clash, my friend." Jenny sighed. " See people here move at there own pace and no one can hurry them up; I learned that fast. In the States you get ahead half on who you know and half on your own skill; here it's all in who you know."

" That's why you have a Mexican driver's license?" Leon asked.

" I passed the test." She laughed. " But yeah the major helped me out a bit. So you guys learn any of that Spanish yet?"

We both looked the other way, causing Jenny roll her eyes. " Wonderful we'll have to wait until this afternoon to go down there so I can translate."

" Oh that's right the midwife's coming this morning." I polished off the last of my breakfast.

" Yup at ten. So, it would be very helpful if you could wake Letty up pretty soon. That way she has time to wake-up and the battle of the wills begins again." Jenny cleared the plates and looked up at Morgan as he came thundering down the stairs. " Good morning, Morgan. How's my Hero doing?"

" I don't wanna go to school!" He announced.

Jenny arched her eyebrow at he son and sighed. " That's fine, but you're still going."

Morgan huffed and crashed down in a chair.

Jenny set a plate down in front of him. " Here's your breakfast and your juice."

Morgan pushed the juice away and looked at me. " I want coffee."

" No you don't." Jenny laughed.

" Yes I do." He scowled.

" Okay." Jenny poured another cup of coffee and set it in front of her son. "It's hot."

Morgan took a couple sips and made a face, before looking at me and smiling. "Good morning."

" Morning." I smiled back and ruffled his hair.

He smiled at Leon and waved.

 Leon managed a half smiled than stared back at the table.

Morgan started eating his breakfast occasionally lodging another complaint about going to school.

Jenny finally folded her arms over her chest. " Morgan Lee O'Connor, you are going to school and that is finally."

" I hate you." He screeched and ran out of the kitchen.

I stood up to chase him, but Jenny stopped me.

" Don't; I have to handle it." She was half way out the door, when she looked at me and winked. " Doesn't this make you excited to have kids?"

I sighed and walked back upstairs to wake up Letty. I walked through the open door and looked at Letty who was sitting up rubbing her eyes. I sat down on the bed next to her and touched her cheek. " Good morning. How you feeling?"

She made a face and blinked her eyes, before rest her hands on her stomach.  She cleared her throat and managed a sleepy smile. " Morning. I'm hungry."

" That's good." I smiled.

" I want coffee." She complained.

" No coffee!" Jenny barked from the hallway as she walked by our door.

Letty scowled and sighed. " Okay time to get up." She struggled as she stood up and I carefully steadied her. " Thanks."

" No problem, Mommy." I kissed her temple.

She smiled and was about to say something, when Morgan started screaming in pain.

I could hear him screaming and yelling, but I could make out was a very loud, "Mommy!"

I ran out into the hallway just as Jenny came flying around the corner.  We nearly collided, but I moved against the wall at the last second. Jenny raced into Morgan's room and rushed out a second later carrying him.

" Is he okay?" I asked.

Jenny held a towel against Morgan's head. " Hold that there, Morgan." He whimpered as he put pressure on the towel. " I know it hurts, Hun. I'm sorry."

" What happened?" Letty asked from the doorway.

Jenny sifted Morgan on her shoulder. " Did you leave your bedroom door open?" She demanded.

" Yeah."

" When I get back from hospital, we're gonna have a long talk about your personal grooming appliances." She snapped.

" What the Hell are you talking about?" I growled as we raced down the stairs.

" Your damn straight razor ass hole!" She raced into the kitchen. " Leon, get up and grab a set of keys and my purse, we've got to get a hospital."

Leon jumped up and raced to the front of the house. 

" Don't…" I started.

" No!" She yelled. " This is my house and my son is hurt. I will talk to you when I get back. Stay here and wait for Rosemary."

" Jen, I got it." Leon called from the doorway.

Jenny ran out behind Leon cradling Morgan.


	5. Hospitals and midwives

**Well here comes the next chapter. No baby yet, but soon I promise. By-the-way, the Spanish in here comes from Alta-Vista, I am horrid at languages (expect English and sign, which doesn't translate well into story form.), so I apologize for any inconsistencies there. I hope you like it. *Smiles***

**Part 5**

Leon's POV:

Now I know why Jenny found a midwife for Letty instead of sending her to a doctor. The hospital was dirty, noisy and overcrowded. Jenny looked around for a moment then handed Morgan to me.

" Here hold him for a minute." She started rummaging through her purse and finally pulled out a wad of American money. She walked to the counter and started talking to the secretary in rapid Spanish. After a heated argument she slammed the money down on the counter and the nurse showed us back to a private room.

" Money makes the world go 'round." I teased as I set Morgan down on the bed.

Jenny sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the open wound. " How ya doing, Hero?"

" It really hurts." He whimpered.

Jenny pulled off the towel and cringed at the blood. She looked over the wound and sighed quietly. " I know sweetheart. Just be brave; just be brave." She held his hand and wiped off his face. She turned and looked at me. " Thanks so much for driving me."

" No problem." I flopped down in a chair just as the doctor came through the door.

" Hola Senora. ¿Qué se parece ser el problema?" Hello Ma'am. What seems to be the problem?  The doctor asked.

"Mi hijo cortó su abierto su cabeza. El corte es muy profundo. My son cut his head. It is very deep. " Jenny carefully turned Morgan's head towards the Doctor, but couldn't make out a word of this conversation.

The doctor looked at the wound. "Esto necesitará varias puntadas. We'll entumecido primero entonces cierra la herida." This will need several stitches. We'll numb it first than close the wound.

Jenny nodded and the doctor left the room.

" Is it gonna hurt?" Morgan questioned.

Jenny squeezed his shoulder. " Maybe a little, but Leon and I will be right here."

I stood up and walked over near Morgan. " That's right buddy. It'll be alright."

After the doctor came back with a nurse they put Morgan to sleep at Jenny's request.  They put seven stitches in the cut and shaved the rest of his head. Jenny thanked the doctor and placed another wad of money his hand.

" God, that cost a fortune." I complained.

" Well worth it." Jenny started to pick Morgan up and paused. " He's getting so heavy, it's hard to pick him up sometimes."

" Here I'll take him." I picked Morgan for Jenny and rested him on my shoulder.

" Thanks." Jenny held the door open for me and we made our way to the car. " I should have seen something like this coming."

" Him trying to shave his head?" I questioned as I set him down in the back seat and buckled him in.

" No, needing a male role model." Jenny started the car and sighed. " I haven't dated since Tom. I was always afraid of getting in a relationship and having it hurt Morgan. Now, I've got two men living my house and Morgan's trying to be like both of them."

I looked back at Morgan. " Looks more like Dom to me."

Jenny laughed out loud. " Too True." She glanced at the clock radio. " It's already noon. Rosemary will be come and gone by the time we get back. I hope they handled it okay. Rosemary doesn't speak English that well, I hope I taught Letty enough Spanish to get by."

" I suppose Dom's getting an earful when we get back."

Jenny winced. " No, actually, I'm gonna apologize. Since my mother bear syndrome has passed; I feel guilty about trying to tear off his head. Ya know I just remembered, since we're in town I should stop by the St. Beto's Church."

" Sounds Catholic, due for confession?" I questioned.

" No," She turned down another dirt road. " I'm not Catholic."

" Then why go?"

" Letty asked me to talk to the priest about a consecration ceremony for the baby."

" She did?"

" Yeah something about family tradition or something like that."

" Don't know anything about that." I shrugged my shoulders as we parked onto the street next to a massive stone church. " She never talked about her childhood much." I paused. " I've never heard anything about before she moved to L.A."

She sighed and turned off the engine. " Could you watch him for me? I'll only be a minute."

" Sure." I leaned back in the seat as she got out and shut the door. I watched her go up the stairs and go through the heavy wooden doors. 

I sighed and looked back at Morgan, he was still sound out, the white bandage wound around his head. I heard someone laughing and turned to see a blond washing a filthy church bus. I summed her up pretty fast: sleeveless shirt, high neck line, no cleavage to be seen, but she wasn't small up top, faded jeans, a nice ass, tanned skin longer hair. I looked back at Morgan and got out of the car.  He wandered over to where she was cleaning and handed her the rag she was reaching for.

She blinked, than looked up at him. " Oh, hi there. Thanks." She smiled gently at me, her green eyes sparkling.

" This thing is a mess." I laughed.

" Everything in Mexico is a mess." She scrubbed the side some more than rinsed it off with the hose. " Even church property."

" It's nice of you to wash it for them."

" Well it needed to be done and I'm the happy volunteer."

" Lucky you." I ran my hand through my hair.

She smirked, than sighed. " I wish I could fix the engine."

" I could." I volunteered. 

" Really? I don't think the church could pay that much." She wiped the sweat off her brow.

" I didn't say anything about charging you. I'm Leon by the way." I extended my hand to her.

She wiped off her hand on her jeans and shook my hand. " I'm Mary, it's nice to meet you. But I can't let you fix it for free, that would cost you too much."

" Nothing to it. Do you know where Rico's garage is?"

" Yeah it's down a few blocks."

" Hopefully I'll be working there soon. Come by tomorrow and ask for Leon. If I come around I'll see what I can do for ya. If I'm not there then I'm staying down the way. With Shanye O'Connor, she's..."

" An artist I know I love her work. I recognized her car. Don't see too many vintage classics around here."

I looked back at the baby blue '67 Mustang and nodded. " That's for sure. You into cars?"

" Not really. I just know my beautiful packages. I grew up in Detroit."

" That explains it. You've got that soul-town shine to your eyes."

" Thank you." She touched my arm and cringed at the sound of crashing dishes. "Oops looks like they need me in the kitchen. I hope to see you later Leon."

" You too." I echoed as I walked back to the car.

Jenny walked out of church just as I reached my door.

" All set." She grinned. " I'll be off to Hell in hand basket."

I laughed and we started down the road to her gallery. " You know I doubt Dom will hold the whole mother-bear thing against you. I mean it is your house."

" I know. I think that bothers him. He's used being to head of the house huh?"

" Yeah, King of streets in L.A."

" What about you?"

" What _about_ me?" I looked at her strangely.

" What are you like?"

" Just one of the lackeys."

" Ah, so you're not gonna tell me." She smirked and looked back at Morgan. "He's everything to me; he's my whole world, all I have."

" You don't have any other family?"

" Not that considers me living."

" What's that supposed to mean?"

" It means I left on bad terms and I can't contact them for fear the cops'll find me."

" That can't come get you."

" Yeah, but the Mexican government probably doesn't want another murder in their fair country."

" Think they would really go to all the trouble of getting you."

" Any cop that found me would make detective in a minute. I've got a friend back in Seattle that watches the cases that get covered."

I watched her lock her jaw as I asked. " Can I ask you something?"

" Shoot." She sounded stressed again.

" What are you running under the hood of this thing?"

She laughed out loud. " Is that hello to you guys? Nothing runs under that hood; it's metal turning against metal. Running, is what I do when dinner's on fire and I'm on the other side of the house."

I laughed and we pulled into the driveway. " You don't know a thing about cars do you?"

" Leon, the first time I rode in a motorized vehicle was the bus that took me to Seattle when I was eighteen." She picked up Morgan with a grunt and I got the door for her.

" How is that possible?" 

Letty's POV:

" What did I miss?" I asked as Dom walked into Morgan's brightly colored room; Jenny had recently re-painted it in a Spiderman theme.

Dom picked up a razor off the counter and looked at the blood on the floor.

" It wasn't your fault." I told him as I realized what had happened.

" I know, but Jenny's ready to kill me." Dom lamented and started cleaning the bathroom.

" Jen'll be fine once she calms down." I sighed and scratched my head. " I'm going down and get something to eat. You gonna be okay?"

" Yeah." Dom scowled, before I reached for his hand.

" You couldn't have known. Don't worry about it." I kissed him and made my way downstairs.

I ate my breakfast alone. The smell of coffee was so tempting, but I knew better despite the craving. After a clearing my plate I went back upstairs to catch a shower. Dom was leaning against the wall of our bedroom talking on the cell-phone he'd brought last week. He nodded at me and went back to talking.

After a nice long shower I got dressed and went to find Dom. He was sitting in the library reading his e-mail.

" How's Mia?" I asked and rubbed the sharp pain that hit my back.

" She's going to classes again."

" Well that encouraging. Brain still doggin' around?"

Dom sighed and pointed out the line that said Brain was doing well. " He's helping her pay for college."

" He should, tanked her first scholarship."

" Saved Vince though." Dom pointed out stubbornly, " and let me go."

" Yes, yes point out all the good qualities in him, make me want to like the bastard again. Despite the fact that he lied to us for two months and tried to send us all to jail." I kissed the top of Dom's head and inhaled deeply. " I love you."

He looked up at and smiled. " I love you too." He shut off the internet-site and held me at arms length. " It suits you."

" What the belly?" I jiggled my stomach a bit, waking up the baby.

" No, just being a mother." He touched my stomach. " It's moving."

" The baby is not an it. That makes it sound like an alien from the x-files." I scowled at him.

" Sorry, but we don't know whether it's a boy or girl. I need a pronoun." He joked.

" Okay we'll call the baby Ed." I smiled watching his jaw drop.

" I'm not naming my kid, Ed, boy or especially girl. It's terrible."

I laughed out loud. " I don't want to name the baby Ed, just call i…I mean him or her Ed until the birth."

" Almost said it."

" But I didn't."

" Why Ed?" He looked exasperated.

" Last night I couldn't sleep so I went into the upstairs living room and turned on the TV.  There wasn't anything on, but I found this anime that had a character named Ed I couldn't figure out whether Ed was male or female, so the baby is Ed until birth." I grinned widely.

" You drank coffee didn't you?" His eyebrow arched.

" No. But on a side note, I think my hormones are going off again. So its not my fault." I swatted at him as the doorbell rang out. " Oops, there's Rosemary. Time for round 10 or 11." 

" You fight with her that much?"

" Yes."

" Do you think its smart to argue with her? She probably knows more about this stuff than you do."

I rolled my eyes. " Once you meet her you'll understand." I opened the door and forced a smile for the pushing woman. " Hi Rosemary. Jenny's not here, so we'll have to get along."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at me suspiciously. " Hola Leddy. We will make do." She turned and looked up at Dom. " Who is this?"

" This is Dom. The baby's father." I told her.

Rosemary ignored Dom's outstretched hand and looked him up and down, before scowling, " Late better than not. We look you over now." She pushed me towards the living room.

I snapped my fingers. " Dom, I forgot the paperwork I got from the hospital. Could you go upstairs and get it?"

" Sure thing." He walked away from us and up the stairs.

I sat down on the couch and let Rosemary take my vitals. She pulled out her scale and motioned for me to set up on it. Dom walked back down in time to hear Rosemary announce.

" Five pounds more, very good. Man must be helping."

" Something like that." I smirked looking at Dom, who handed me the papers. "Here the doctor gave me this; said you should look at it."

" Why you at doctor?" Rosemary glared at me.

" I didn't have a choice I thought I was going into labor."

" Why you not call me?"

" I didn't have your number." I ground my teeth together.

" Bah! Poor excuse." She looked over the papers. " Nothing serious. Doctors strange people. Think they know things that no do." Her broken English meshed into rapid Spanish again.

All I could make out were few words here and there about college and experience or something like that. She poked my finger again and tested my blood again. " All is fine. We take another look next week. Eat more. Sleep more. Rest more. Do less than you do. You are too busy!"

" Yes Rosemary, but if I do nothing I'll go crazy and that wouldn't be good for my baby either!" I seethed after her list of demands. I just hated when she told me what to do.

" I know things more than you."

I resisted to the urge to roll my eyes. " Of course."

" You be good." She shook her finger at me, than looked at Dom. " No hands on her."

Dom arched his eyebrow at me and mouthed 'what the hell is she talking about?'

" Rosemary, write down what you want and I'll have Jenny translate it." I handed her a pad and pen.

She scowled and ranted in Spanish as she wrote. I'm sure it was complaints about people not speaking Spanish and living in her country. After finishing the note she left in huff with a simple goodbye and a slam of the door.

" Phew." I flopped down onto the couch. " I will kill that woman after Ed is born." I smirked mischievously at his groan.

" I don't like that name. And are you sure that woman is all together?"

" No. I don't think she is at all, but Jenny says she's the best and I don't have a lot of choice expect to trust her."

" I guess you're right."

" I'm always right."

" Oh really?"

" Really." I grinned, before realizing that he was pinning me against the couch. "No, Dom, don't you dare...." I couldn't make out another word, since I was laughing. I hate being ticklish.


	6. Mystery Girl

**Notes: Sorry about the disappearing act, but I've been so busy I could hardly function. So now that I'm on break from school and feeling better. Here is chapter 6. I hope you like it and I'll be updating the other soon as well. *Smiles***

**Mystery Girl**

Jenny's POV:

" Well here's the base color." I smiled and held the door open for Letty. 

" Wow, it's really nice." She smiled and touched freshly dried blue walls.

" You picked a good theme." I pulled a sketch of the room plan out of my back pocket. " Sit, sit. Rosemary will kill me if I don't help enforce this rest thing."

Letty sighed and sat down in the chair in the middle of the room. She pulled a book out from under the chair and started flipping threw the pages.

" You need to figure out what else you want for detailing in this room, if you want anything."

" Not sure."

" Okay suit yourself. Which book are you looking at?"

" The name book."

" I see I see." I muttered and paced a circle around the room. " Got any ideas yet?"

" If it's a boy, it'll be easy: Anthony something, either Jonathan or Joseph, but I don't have any clues for girls."

" That could be a problem. Why Jonathan or Joseph, I remember you saying that Anthony was Dom's father."

" Jonathan was my dad and Joseph was Jesse's name."

" Ah. How do you get Jesse from Joseph?"

Letty laughed out loud. " Jesse was just a nickname that stuck."

" Okay." I popped the lid on the white paint and loaded it into my airbrush gun. "Did you want to stick to just the clouds or did you want to do the swishes too?"

" I liked the swish marks in the fabric of the quilt you're making, could pull that off?"

" Oh ye of little faith." I looked at the paint cans, then at the fabric pieces I pulled out of my pocket. " Yeah, we should be able to do that. I need to get started, only got two weeks."

" I know." She fidgeted. " Do you think I can do this?"

" Hesitance does not become you." I laughed. " You're confident in everything else, and you'll figure this out too."

" What if I screw the kid up?"

" Every human being is screwed up." I touched her arm. " Don't worry if I can do it, so can you and Dom."

" I guess." She actually smiled. " Step one: get through the birth."

" Exactly. Now, I'll get working on this nursery, you start talking me through possible names if it's a girl."

" What about Elania?"

I put down my paint gun and moved a tray over to where I was working. "Doesn't sound bad at all. Maybe Elania Marie?"

" Kinda cute." She scratched her bottom lip.

" I'll be right back. I need another color." I left Letty in the nursery and hopped down the stairs and walked into the studio. I looked over the can's lids until I found the color I needed then grabbed a pouch of glitter and roller. I was half way back when the phone rang I sighed and lifted the receiver. " Hello Shayne's visions how may I help you?" I was about to repeat my spiel in Spanish when a friendly voice came back at me.

" Oh hello Shayne! How is my most darling little artist? This is Miss Poche from Boston."

" Yes, Miss Poche, I recognized your voice. What can I do for you?"

" Oh dear, I just received your last painting. I adore it. Now about the fifth one…"

" Miss Poche I haven't even thought about creating a fifth one."

" Such a shame. I love those pictures. I wanted one with the girl and her lover for over my mantle."

" Well but as I said…"

" I would love one like that. In fact I'm willing to commission it."

I bit my lip, commissioned painted were always a touch a go situation and I really didn't like doing them. The reality was that I had to do them occasionally to support my lifestyle. I ground my teeth together and made a face. " I suppose I could think…"

" My dear I will pay you $50,000 for a full-size mantle-hang of that series."

I could feel my eyes bugging out of my head and I managed to shallow my gasp. I cleared my throat and told her. " I will have to figure out if I have available time and can find a suitable model, but I will let you know by the end of the week."

" Thank you so much my dear. I look forward to hearing from you. Chow!"

" Chow." I muttered and dropped the phone back down on hook. I did a little victory dance and strutted back into the nursery.

" Who was on the phone?" Letty asked me.

" Miss Poche from Boston. A _very_ rich woman who loves my work and has just called me to commission the fifth in your series."

" I thought you were done with those."

" For $50,000 I can change my mind. Now how would that lover of yours feel about posing?"

" $50,000! For a painting! Is this woman nuts?!?"

I arched my eyebrow, " I hope that isn't an indirect assault on my art."

" You know me better than that. I just can't believe someone would pay that much for one painting."

" Letty, a Van Gough can easily go for a couple of million."

" When are yours gonna be worth that much?"

" When I'm dead." I put my hands on my hips. " Although now that I think about it. The ones I did before I murdered Tom are probably getting there."

" All about the back-story, huh?"

" Something like that. So where were we? Ah, yes Elania Marie."

" I decided against it."

" Okay fair enough. Any others in mind?"

" Yeah, but can I ask you something?"

" I still guarantee no answers." 

" Fair enough. Why no sex during pregnancy? I've heard it's okay and I've heard it's not okay; which is it?" She reached under the chair and retrieved another book.

" It's fine during the first two tri's it's the last one, where it's a no-no."

" Why only the third?"

" Can cause premature labor?" I looked at the walls, then at my plan again. 'stars how was I going to do those stars?' I thought as Letty said something I didn't catch. I narrowed my eyebrows, as I weighed my options: I didn't feel like making a stamp or using stencils, so I was gonna have to come up with an alternative plan.

" Hello in there!" Letty called out.

" Yes love?"

" How does sex cause premature labor?"

" Orgasms and before you say anything I don't want to know if that would be a problem or not; I won't be able to look Dom in the face for a week." I rambled. 

Letty laughed out loud before complaining. " Don't do that it hurts."

" It's good for you." I assured her. " I got it." I ran out of the room. I know Letty was as confused as Hell, but I finally solved my problem and I was excited. I got my supplies and came back into the room.

" What bit you in the ass?"

" An idea for how to make those stars that won't take me 16 hours."

" And that would be?"

" Clear paint and glitter. I'll do the swishes, then the glitter, and then I'll do those clouds. Hopefully by that time you'll know what else you want to put on these walls."

" Yes mother."

" Don't joke I feel old enough as is."

" You aren't that old."

" I'm old enough." I huffed and started mixing the glitter and the paint.

" I meant to ask you; did you have any luck finding Leon's mystery girl?"

" No and its driving me batty. I mean a white girl, with blond hair and green eyes, from Detroit who knows my work and my car, shouldn't be that hard to identify, but apparently she is. It's like she vanished or something."

" Where did he meet her again?"

" Outside St. Beto's, which is really strange because Morgan goes to school there. I would've remembered this Mary he keeps talking about, if I had already met her."

" He said that she was some kind of volunteer."

I shook my head. " That's not possible."

" Why not?"

" Because…"

Leon's POV:

The shop was un-air-conditioned and noisy, but the work was good and Rico and his crew were nice even if we had to point half the time to communicate. I was fixing the breaks on a 2000 Mustang for a bunch of college girls on spring break from law school. They had been thoroughly grateful that someone in our shop spoke English and I was thoroughly grateful for the work. It had been miserably slow that day, of course it usually was we closed at 8 at night and got most of our work at 7. I glanced over at Dom who was busy talking with Rico over something, probably business suggestions. I liked it in Mexico, besides the fact that it was too damn hot and I didn't speak the language. Jenny was helping me look for Mary, who I hadn't seen after our first meeting. I finished the car and hollered for the boys to lower the hoist. I saw a white van pull into the shop and smiled broadly, the side was marked "St. Beto's;" I'd let Dom walk over and talk to Mary and have her ask for me.

I could hear part of the conversation from where I stood doing the final checks. Since Dom was getting pretty good at Spanish he was speaking in that language.

" Hola Hermana! Como estas?" Dom greeted her, but I couldn't remember what hermana meant.

" Bein gracious. Et tu Senor?"

" Bein. Hable englis?"

" Yes I do." Her voice sounded familiar before, but now that I heard her speak in English it was really ringing a bell. " I'm looking for Leon? He said he might work here."

" Hey Leon come here!" Dom called out to me.

I rounded the corner grinning like a mad man, but almost feinted. The woman who brought in the van was dresses as a nun. 

She smiled at me her green eyes sparkling. "Hi Leon."

Letty's POV:

" Why not?" I asked Jenny.

" Because…" She trailed off as a door slammed. 

I looked down at my watch. " Noon, the boys are back for lunch."

" Jenny!" Leon yelled as pounded around downstairs.

" I'm up here." Jenny called out and asked me. " What did I do?"

I shrugged my shoulders as Dom and Leon came into the room. Leon's ears were red he was absolutely furious; I'd never seen him this mad.

" Did you think it'd be funny?!?" He demanded from Jenny.

" What are you talking about?" Jenny questioned planting her feet in case Leon got any ideas.

" He's talking about Mary. Now calm down Leon. Jen wouldn't do that to you." Dom tried to reason with him.

" Did you know she was a nun?!?" Leon growled in Jenny's direction.

I bit my lip trying to contain my laughter. I couldn't believe it, Leon's mystery girl was a nun. No wonder Jenny didn't recognized her from Leon's description.

" No." Jenny shook her head and swallowed her own laughter. " How would I have known from that description?"

Leon huffed and stormed out of the nursery; cussing up a royal storm.

After he left Jenny and I broke down laughing finally when I caught my breath I managed to ask. " So how was work so far?"

" Until Sister Mary Katherine came to visit everything was going fine."

" Poor Leon." Jenny lamented. " I feel terrible. Now that I know what she does; I know who she is. She's come in here twice this year."

" It's not your fault. Leon'll get over it." Dom assured her, and then kissed the top of my head. " And how is Ed?"

" Practicing for the World Cup." I complained before reminding him. " We need to talk about girl's names."

" Why?" He sighed heavily.

" Because if we don't pick one it will most assuredly be a girl and she'll be baby for the first few days of her life and develop a complex." I rambled as Jenny laughed and walked out of the room. " It isn't funny!" I yelled at her.

" Oh, yes it is!" She called back.

I furrowed my eyebrows and called to her. " Hey, Jen come here for a second."

She leaned around the doorway. " What?"

I smiled slyly. " It would most definitely be a problem!"

Jenny blinked than her face turned bright red. " Ahh." She covered her ears and fled Dom and the room.

" What was that all about?"

" Nothing, nothing." I reassured Dom.

********

**Next time the baby I promise!!!!!**


	7. Hello Sofia

**Authoress' notes: Okay well this took far too long. The Epilogue will reappear shortly. I hope you all enjoy this. Thanks for the wonderful reviews everyone!!!! I should be adding another piece to "All Kinds of Family" as well. Have a wonderful day and enjoy this part!!!**

**Hello Sofia**

Dom's POV: 

I walked into the quiet house around ten that night. Leon had stayed in the city to grab a couple beers and pick up a girl. I rolled my eyes at his recent attitude and closed the front door.  The lights of the deck lit up the back of the house like a beacon. I could hear the girls talking quietly as I continued down the hallway. It was strange to think that soon I would be a father.  I didn't know if I was ready for this; I've never wanted to talk to my dad more than now. I could make out Jen's voice now, she was using her calming-motherly tone, probably trying to make Letty relax.

" This is what I love about the storm season." Jen was explaining. " I love watching the storms dance on the ocean. I can be in awe at its destructive nature and not feel guilty about someone's home being destroyed."

" You're not a fish." Letty laughed.

" I'm sure any fish can handle this and if not than it's survival of the fittest." I heard Jen shift in her chair. " You still having contractions?"

" Nope. They quit an hour ago." Letty sighed. " I just wanna have this baby. At least than I could look at it."

" You just called the baby, it, wait 'til I tell Dom."

" Watch hell hath no fury like a pregnant woman with raging hormones."

" I'm shaking over here." Jen replied dryly. " Ed probably knows that the nursery it's done yet."

" What else could we possible do to that room? We've even got the birth room ready. For the love of god, I've never been so prepared in my life."

Jen laughed. " What about the rocking chair?"

I wish I see what they were doing out there, but before I could walk out Letty started talking again.

" I know its dumb, but I remember this story Bella used to tell us about before Dom was born: She and Tony were real poor and she wanted a rocking-chair so bad she could taste it, but they didn't have any money. Anyways Tony shows up one night after work with three handmade rocking chairs, one for the nursery, one for their room and one for the front porch." Letty sighed.

I could remember my mother telling that story sitting in that rocking chair on the front porch as we celebrated my 13th birthday.

" He made them?" Jen asked.

" Oh please, Tony was as good with wood as I am. No, he made a deal with some guy: Tony would fix his cars for free if he made the chairs for Bella."

" That's sweet. Have you thought of a name for the baby if it's a girl?"

" Sofia." Letty paused and drew a long breath. " Dom's mother's real name; she was the only mother I really knew. I miss her."

Letty had taken the words out of my mouth, but I was about to give her the shock of her life.

" Good evening ladies." I smirked as Jen chocked on her sip of wine.

" Ass." She coughed.

" Hi baby." Letty smiled up at me and wrapped her arms around my neck as I knelt to kiss her. " Miss me?" She smiled.

" Always." I kissed her quickly and helped her stand. " I have something to show you."

" What?"

" Come with me."

" Why?"

" You'll see." I led her back into the hallway and whispered. " Close your eyes."

" And how am I supposed to follow you with my eyes closed?"

" Trust me." I took both of her hands in mine and after she arched her eyebrow suspiciously, she shut her eyes. I guided her into the front gallery where I'd left her present. " Okay you can open your eyes."

She blinked a few times in shock and managed a small squeak, before tears trickled down her cheeks.

" Hey, don't cry." I whispered to her and kissed her forehead than her cheeks.

" Where did you find them?" She wondered aloud as she walked over and touched the first rocking chair.

" The first three I found at a flea market a month ago, they weren't in fantastic shape so I stored them at Rico's and fixed them up." I explained.

" They're so beautiful." She smiled broadly before reaching the fourth and her face froze. She touched the carving on the headrest and started shacking. " How did you get this here?"

" Brain. He told Mia it vanished off the porch, because she would've known why I wanted it and I knew you wanted to keep Ed a secret. He took it apart and shipped it to Rico's." I was grinning broadly as I watched her smile again.

" Next time you talk to him tell that bastard all is forgiven." She laughed, before touching the carvings gingerly. " To: Sofia, From: Anthony; May 1977. To: Letitica, From: Dominic; May 2002."

I saw Jenny start up the stairs with Corpus on her heels. She leaned against the railing and looked down at us.

Letty sat down in the rocking chair and sighed. " Okay Ed, we're all ready for ya!"

Jen warned, " Be very careful about saying things like that."

Letty stuck out her tongue. " What's the worst that could happen?"

Letty's POV:

I started pace ten minutes ago; my contractions had started again and laying down hurt like a mother. _Ha. Ha. I'm so funny._ I thought humorously as I opened the door to Jen's room. I stood in the doorway for a few minutes before a muffled voice informed me.

" If your contractions aren't regular or becoming closer together, aren't at least 40 seconds in length, aren't becoming more painful, don't start in your upper abdomen, and moving doesn't help; then go back to bed you are in false labor again." Jen moved under the covers.

I started thinking. " Two outta four?"

" Go back to bed." Jen growled.

" I thought you were morning person."

" Not at three a.m." Jen picked up her head and pushed her hair away from her face. " Go bother Dom this is a future daddy thing."

I scowled. " He's out like a light. I don't wanna wake him up; he's exhausted."

Jen's expression softened a bit. " Okay get over here and sit down."

" No, sitting is bad; it hurts. I'm more comfortable walking." I argued. " But my back's still driving me nuts."

Jen sat up a little straighter. " Your back huh? Where at in your back?" She yawned and blinked her eyes.

" My lower back; feels like I leaned over too long." I explained watching her expression.

Jen arched her eyebrow. " Which two did you match?"

" I…" I started before grinding my teeth at another pain in my back. I felt like someone jabbed me in the back. I took another couple deep breaths before it passed.

" 50 seconds; were the other as long as that?

" I think so, it felt like it, but its my back not my stomach." I explained.

Jen crawled out of bed and walked over to me. " Radiates down through here?" She moved her hands along my sides and across my pelvis.

" Yeah." I answered as a thunder rattled the windows.

" It's getting worse?" She questioned me.

I nodded, " Yeah that's why I came in here I wanted to know what I could take for it."

" Did you know that contractions can feel like back-pain?" Jen took my wrist and started taking my pulse, something I had just gotten used to over the past few months.

" Nope." I rolled my neck and sighed.

" Does moving help with the pain?"

" Not the sharp ones."

Jen's eyebrows shot up and she folded her arms over her chest. " Well it sounds like we are in for the main event."

I bit my lip, " Are you sure?"

" Yeah." Jen nodded. " And if walking helps we'll walk."

" Don't we want to call Rosemary?" I suggested.

Jen shook her head, " First we're gonna make sure you're in labor and if you are; we'll call her." The wind gusted outside and started whining eerily. " Are we in for a late one?"

" Another hurricane induced storm?"

" Could be." Jen's face looked troubled. "Come on momma, let's go check the weather."

Jen and I went down the stairs, but I had to stop halfway down and take another couple breathes as the pain hit again.

Jen was sitting at her laptop looking over the satellite photos. I saw her expression darken as she looked over the pictures. " Son of a…" She trailed off and bit her lip. " I've got to wake 'em up." She stood up and shook her head.

" What the hell is going on?"

" You are going into labor and the late hurricane is heading up the gulf coast in the water, which means we are gonna get hammered with wind and rain." Jen looked at me and I must have been making quite a face since she instantly calmed on the outside. "It'll be fine don't worry."

" Easy for you to say." I folded my arms over my chest and started pacing again.

Jen went and got the phone. She was talking in Spanish to Peter's mother telling her to keep Morgan with them until Jen came and picked him up and warned her about the incoming storm. She went up the stairs and came back down a few minutes later with Dom lumbering behind her.

" You weren't supposed to wake him up." I complained.

" Can't move the bed on my own." Jen told me as the front door swung open.

I looked down the hall and saw Leon stumbling in the hallway. Jen clenched her fists then took a deep breath. " I'll be right back." She walked over to Leon and announced. " Time to sober up." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him upstairs.

I winced at the yelling and crashing that was going on up there. Then I looked at Dom. " Morning?" I tried to smile, but the pain hit again.

Dom grabbed my arms and let me dig my nails into his arm. " You okay?" He whispered.

I managed to nod, before sighing as it passed. " Jen thinks I'm having the baby. And which bed are you moving?"

" Yours; she wants us all down in the basement in case the storm hits hard."

I nodded understanding as Jen reappeared. 

" He's enjoying a nice shower." Jen pressed her hands against her face and slid them down. " I've got shitty luck." She started towards the hallway.

" Where are you going?" I barked.

Jen grabbed her coat. " Rosemary is terrified of storms; she won't drive in them. I have to go get her."

" Hold it." Dom interrupted. " Jen, you are the only one here with experience. I can go get her."

" No!" Jen and I barked at him simultaneously. I continued, " I need you here with me."

" Then who's gonna go get her?" He asked.

" I will." Leon muttered from the stairs.

" You're drunk;" Jen growled. " You can't speak Spanish and you don't know where you're going."

Leon's POV:

My ears were still ringing from the screaming match that Jen and I got into, before she relented and wrote down the directions to Rosemary's home.  It made more sense for me to go anyway, since Letty needed Jen to be there and wanted Dom stay with her.  I was driving Jen's 4x4, trying to keep it on the road as the wind brew junk in front of me and rain pelted the windshield.  I rounded the corner and noticed a white van tipped over on its side with a tree smashed through it.  I stopped the 4x4 and called out against the wind trying to see if anyone was there.  A flash of black caught my attention as a nun started climbing out the passenger window.

" Are you okay? Is anybody else in there?" I helped her down to the ground and jumped as her green eyes met mine.

" Just me and I'm okay. Thanks for asking Leon. What are you doing out in this storm?" Mary shielded her face from the rain and wind with her robes.

" I'm going to get the midwife for my friend. She's having a baby." I explained, before cringing at the sound of the bus scraping against the road and motioned for her to get into the car. " What the hell were you doing out in this storm?" I asked her as she slammed the door closed.

" There's a family that lives in a shack on the beach…"

" And you're the happy little volunteer that went to save them." I snapped unintentionally. " How you people here about these things at four in the morning?"

" The wind." She sipped back me.

" What is that poetry or something?" I was pissed off and I didn't want to deal with her.

" No I heard the wind blowing things against my window." She scowled, " Where are we going?"

" Remember midwife, friend, baby?"

" Which midwife?"

" Rosemary something." I fought the wind as a turned the corner to find the road blocked. " Shit!"

" There's another way around. But it'll take a little back tracking." Mary pulled the hood off her robe and threw it in the backseat. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook some of the water out of it. " If you back track about a mile to the main road you can pick up a little trail that'll take you straight to the highway that Rosemary Martins lives off from. But its pretty harsh; can this thing handle off road?"

" It will." I gripped the wheel and reversed the jeep.

Mary braced her hands against the roof and door of the car trying to keep upright. "We better hope so, I'd hate to have to get out and push in this weather."

" Well you can pray us safely through."

" Why are you angry with me? I haven't done anything to you."

" I'm not angry." I slammed on the brakes.

" Then why do you keep snapping at me?" Mary pulled the rest of her nun outfit off and threw it in the back too. Now she was wearing jeans and t-shirt.

" I'm not." I defended.

" You're as bad as a child."

" You lied to me." I tried the gas, but we didn't move.

" No I didn't." Mary argued. " When do you think I lied to you?"

I stepped on the gas again but all I got was spinning tires. " Shit!" I yelled and slammed my fist on the dashboard. I tried it again and got the same result. I heard the door opening and looked up to see Mary getting out. " Where are you going?"

" Too see how bad we're stuck." She left the door open and paced to the back. After a minute she leaned back in and hollered over the wind. " It's not that bad. If I push, the tires should roll. Count of ten." She slammed the door and ran around the back again.

I counted to ten then slammed the gas, the tires popped free and the car lurched forward. I stopped again and climbed out of the car. Mary was face down in the mud puddle we'd been stuck in. " Mary! Mary! Are you okay?" I pulled her up and looked at her.

" I'm fine, just dirty."

" Are you sure?" I wiped some of the mud from her face. The wind and rain was washing the mud off fast.

" Yes, I'm fine. I've been through worse." She rubbed her thumb over my cheek.

" You sure?" I blinked my eyes and leaned in trying to get a better looked at her.

" I'm sure." She smiled and turned my face towards hers.

I leaned down and kissed her before I knew what I was doing. She responded fast wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her body against mine. She moaned as my tongue forced its way into her mouth, and then I pulled away fast. Damn-it to all hell; I am not allowed to do this. Isn't there some cosmic law against this kind of thing?

" We can't do this." Those words sure sounded foreign coming out of my mouth.

" Why?" She asked mystified.

" Why? You're a nun!" I screamed at her.

" Not really." She started.

" What? You take off the uniform and you're not a nun for a few hours! What kind of twisted shit is that?!?"

She grabbed my shirt and jerked me down to her level. " I'm not a nun." She kissed me hard against the lips then looked at me again. " Leon, listen very closely: I am not a nun. I am hiding from some very bad people who killed my parents and I testified against." She kissed me again. " Not a real nun."

This time I kissed her; and damn it felt good. " Holy shit!" I pulled away from her again.

" What now?" She asked, pushing her soaking wet hair away from her face.

" Letty! I forgot all about her! Shit! Come on; get in the car!" I pushed her towards the car and hopped in myself.

Mary buckled her seatbelt and braced as we took off, " Is Letty your friend that's having the baby?"

" Yeah and she'll kill me if I don't get Rosemary there in time."

" We've got twenty minutes at least until we get there." Mary told me and squinted out the windshield. " Get ready to turn left up there."

" Okay. Can I ask you something?"

" Sure, fire away." Mary grabbed her cloak and wrung her hair out unto it.

" How did you get down here? In that place?"

She laughed. " Don't make it sound so awful it really isn't." She ran her fingers through her hair. " I was ten when my father racked up debt with the wrong people and couldn't pay. They were from the Russian Mafia; they broke into our house in Detroit. My mother hid me in the closet and wrote a fake note about me being at a friend's house." She drew in a deep breath. " I watched them shoot my parents. Later the police came and a detective found me. I didn't really have any extended family, so the state took over my care. They made me testify against the men that killed my family. So the state placed me in witness protection but the mafia found me. Thankfully I got out alive. So when I was eleven the state sent me to a convent in New York. I hated New York; I was miserable.  So the Catholic Church sent me here to Mexico. I didn't know Spanish and I wasn't even Catholic, but they took such wonderful care of me. I was free to leave last year when I turned eighteen, but I didn't know where else to go so I stayed here and taught school."

" What's this road?"

" Oh that's the turn off to the highway, good catch.  Let's just hope it isn't flooded over."

Dom's POV:

I could hear Jenny running around upstairs looking for more candles as I turned the wrench against the rusted metal of the generator. Letty was trying to breathe through the pain and keep track of the contractions.

" Where the fuck is Leon? He's been gone for three hours." She complained as Jenny thundered down the stairs.

" Probably lost." Jenny sighed and looked at me. " How's the generator coming?"

" It's not." I scraped my knuckles against the metal.

" Need a pair of pliers?" Jenny produced one from her pocket.

" No I need a hammer." I kicked the generator in frustration. It roared to life and lights flickered, than came on completely.

" That was impressive." Jenny nodded, before kneeling by Letty. " How are ya doing, sweetie?"

" Fucking perfect. I feel like I'm gonna split open." Letty grunted.

" Let me see." Jen checked Letty over then patted her head. " Two more centimeters, sweetie."

" What! How long is that gonna take?" Letty tried to get more comfortable.

" Hopeful longer than it takes for Rosemary to get here. I love you, but I don't want to deliver your child." Jen huffed and took off up the stairs.

I walked over to Letty and took her hand in mine. " Is there anything I can do?"

" Just stay here; Jen's scaring the shit out of me running all over the place." 

I kissed her forehead. " Everything'll be alright."

" Trust you huh?" She managed a half-cocked smile, but her eyes betrayed her fear.

 " Yeah trust me." I gave her hand a squeeze. " We'll get through this."

" I'll get through this. You'll get out with a broken finger, if I'm feeling especially vicious."

" You're gonna break my finger??" I looked fearful. " That's it give me my hand back."

" No way bastard, you did this too me and you ain't leaving me now."

The door slammed upstairs a myriad of Spanish and English came floating down the stairs.

" I have never been so happy to hear that crazy woman's voice." Letty exclaimed.

Letty's POV:

It's funny how life goes. I mean, I'm street-hard girl, been through Hell and back, but this tops every adrenaline rush I've ever had. I'm looking down at my newborn daughter, her tiny face peaceful as she sleeps against my breast and I've never been so calm and scared all at once.  The pain seems to have vanished and I barely remember it all.  I'm trying to remember why I screamed all that shit at Dom. Did I really tell him to castrate himself? I'll have to apologize, when he reappears. Jen's been taking pictures of Sofia and my goofy ass grin…Oh my God. Hello Sofia, you're here. You're real. Okay I'm glad I'm just thinking all this shit. I'm starting to sound like a fucking retard.  But since no one can hear me. Sofia, you are so amazing. You look like me, but you have your papi's nose. You are only 7lbs and 20 ½ inches of person. You're so small and helpless I swear I'll never let anything hurt you. I love you, Sofia.


End file.
